Books From the Future 6
by Dimcairien
Summary: As the Weasley's and friends continue with book six of HP, they deal with romance, anger, trust, horror, and much more. Deeper friendships and trust are formed between many friends. Even the time travelers continue to learn things about each other.
1. Prologue

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**Well, here's the start of HBP. I'm not a huge fan of the book on its own, but hopefully I'll make it entertaining. I am looking forward to the romance in it, especially Harry/Ginny and Remus/Tonks, as well as the confirmation about Bill/Fleur. The battle should also be interesting to write. I would like to have this done by sometime in April, but I'm not certain how my schedule will work out. Hopefully that will happen. HBP is shorter than OOTP, so it ought to go faster.**_

_**I'm not exactly certain what people on the continent of Europe call the UK. Do they call it the UK or is it sometimes called the Island or even something else? I know I can't call it England as that's only part of the UK, but I would like to know because it'll come in handy. Thanks to anyone who can tell me this.**_

_**I had to do a quick edit to fix a fairly major mistake. It's fine now and I'll explain it at the beginning of the next chapter. **_

_**And now I will end this long author's note and bring you the story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's.**_

The next day dawned bright and clear. There was a sense of nervousness in the air as the Weasley's and their guests came downstairs. The fifth book had probably been the worst so far as in it someone who was reading the books with them died in the future. Those who were older, namely Charlie and above, were certain that more of the people in the room with them were to die or at least get injured. A few of them had suspicions, but no one was certain about who died yet, which they were thankful for. They did not want to know it before it happened.

It was a rather subdued crowd that gathered in the sitting room that morning for breakfast. The harshness and the reality of the war was hitting everyone in the room, even the younger ones who had never experienced war firsthand, but had grown up hearing stories about it. Little Ginny, little Ron, Luna, and Neville had all been born towards the end of the war when things were darkest, but they didn't remember it at all. The twins had a few vague memories, but clearly remembered when their uncles Fabien and Gideon had died. Since Fleur had been in France, her childhood hadn't been as dark, but she still remembered the terror that Voldemort would overtake France once he was done with the UK. Thankfully that hadn't ever happened.

Everyone else from Percy on up had some clear memories of the war. Percy remembered the fear that was in everyone's hearts and he remembered the lists of names that were read on the wireless nearly every evening. And he remembered the horror of when a name he knew was read. Bill and Charlie remembered when people simply disappeared and no one knew if they were dead or alive. They remembered having to leave their house for a few days once when their dad and uncles had been laying a series of protective spells one it. They too remembered the lists of names that were read and a chill when they heard a familiar name. Tonks too had many distinct memories, many of them involving what her 'relatives' had done as they were quite famous on the dark side. It had been scary for her family as her mother had been a Black and her father a Muggle-born. There had been several close calls with both of them.

For everyone, Percy and above, nearly all of their childhood memories had to do with the war as they had been born in the middle of it, or in Bill's case, at the beginning of it. Little Ron down had many happy childhood memories as they were born at the close of the war. For the twins and Fleur it was a mixture of war memories and happy memories. Their innocence had been preserved for the most part since they couldn't clearly remember the war. But the older children had grown up with fear and hence had grown up quickly, whereas the youngest never had had their innocence tainted.

The exceptions of course were little Harry and Neville. Little Harry didn't remember the war, except for when Voldemort had attacked his house, but at the same time he didn't have his innocence, at least, not as much innocence as a seven-year-old should have. It was because of his 'relatives' that he had lost much of his innocence at such a young age. Sirius and Remus were determined for little Harry to gain as much of it back as he could, though they weren't certain how much he'd be able to gain back. Once innocence was lost, it usually was lost for good.

Neville too didn't remember the war and he had grown up in a loving family, even though his gran was harsh at times. He had lost his innocence the first time he remembered seeing his parents in St. Mungo's when he was three. He had seen them before, but didn't remember. At that point he had realized what exactly had happened that night. He had always been told, but he never had understood what exactly had happened. Once he saw his parents he did understand and afterwards had known what the world could be like.

As for the adults, they had grown up in a peaceful world at least for their childhood, but only Molly and Arthur had actually kept their innocence until they were older and learned more about the real world. They both had grown up in loving families between the wars with Grindelwald and the first war with Voldemort. Sirius had grown up in a dark household, and hence had lost his innocence before he ever got it. Remus had lost the majority of his innocence when he was attacked as it forced him to grow up quickly. Both of them wished that they could have had more time as children and wanted little Harry to have the childhood he should've had for the rest of it. The knew it was possible. It would be hard, but they could do it.

"Will anyone new be joining us for this book?" Molly asked _Harry_ as she finished preparing the oatmeal and fruit.

_Harry_ shook his head. At least he didn't have any planned arrivals. Luna had been a surprise arrival, but it was a fine one. She too would play a major role in the books. Almost everyone who played a major role in the books was here. True, some of the professors did, namely McGongall and Snape, but he didn't want to bring any of them in. McGonagall was needed at Hogwarts especially as Dumbledore was here reading with them the majority of he time and Snape, well, it probably would be good for him to come, but Harry had a feeling that Snape wouldn't last five seconds at the Burrow before he would be a pile of dust. He wouldn't be too surprised if there was another unplanned arrival though. As long as it wasn't someone who would get hexed once they walked in the door, he would probably be fine.

Once everyone was seated, the breakfast was served. Little Harry was staying extremely close to Sirius, as if he were afraid that his godfather would disappear if he left. Remus too was staying quite close to the two of them. Several others kept stealing a glance at Sirius, confirming that he still was in the room. Harry knew that this awkwardness would only get worse as more people in the room died. He was dreading reading those passages and knew that he probably would have to escape again.

_Harry_ was quickly brought back to reality though as no more than five minutes had passed since breakfast was served, but James' bowl of oatmeal was upside down on his head. _Ginny_ groaned when she noticed, but the mess was cleaned up quickly with her wand.

"You used to do that a lot," Remus told little Harry. "With anything that remotely resembled a liquid. James had gotten a hamburger and chips once with a large bowl of catsup. Needless to say, it was placed a little to close to your high chair. He turned around for just a second to pull the burger out of the bag and came back to find your head covered in catsup."

Little Harry tried to cover his giggles with his hand, but couldn't. Remus smiled at the young boy. He was loving it when little Harry laughed. "I think I may have a photo at home. Once I can get it, I'll have to check."

"Lily was extremely close to hexing James that day," added Sirius. "And after that, no liquids or things close to it were allowed in bowls near your chair."

Soon breakfast was finished and once the washing up was done, they were ready to begin reading except that Dumbledore and Luna hadn't arrived yet. Luna arrived a few minutes later, as did Fawkes with a message from Dumbledore telling them that he wouldn't be able to come until that afternoon, if at all that day.

"So, what happens in this book?" asked Charlie as they were finishing breakfast.

"A lot," said _Ron_ simply. "Romance, Quidditch, adventures, Hogsmeade, Quidditch . . ."

"We get the picture, _Ron_, and don't give the book away!" admonished _Hermione_.

"I wasn't going to," muttered _Ron_ as he sat down.

_Hermione_ pretended to swat him and handed him Rose. "Here, I know you want to hold her for a little while," she said as she settled down in her lounge.

"Who wants to read?" asked _Harry_, holding up the book, which was slightly smaller than the previous one.

"_Harry_, you're next in the reading order," pointed out _Ginny_.

"Oh. Well then, I guess I'll start," _Harry_ said and he read the book title.

**The Half-Blood Prince**

"How can there be half-blood prince?" asked Percy. "There isn't any royalty in the wizarding world."

"I don't know, but I suspect that we'll find out," said Arthur.

Before _Harry_ turned the page to the opening chapter he duplicated it because he was certain that had some point the book would turn into flames or otherwise be destroyed. It certainly was going to be interesting to read and he knew that it would get intense in the room quite often, but at the same time he was looking forward to the reactions to all of the romances that would take place in this book.

* * *

_**idadri: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and that it caught your attention. I hope you enjoy the final two books.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. Wow, I didn't know you checked it that often. I hope it isn't too big of a disappointment when I haven't updated. I don't really know where the snowball-freeze tag game came from. I too would love doing something like that. I've played marshmallow dodge-ball and that's probably where the idea came from**_

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review. I know what story you're talking about, and it's going to go a bit like that what with certain memories remembered and all that. Since I have a lot more characters, that will make more memories which will end up making bigger changes. Thanks for mentioning that though. **_

_**Furionknight: Thanks for the smilie**_.


	2. The Other Minister

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_Okay, in regards to the error in the previous chapter, I both said that Dumbledore wasn't coming and that he was there. I had originally planned on having him come for the beginning, but switched midway through. I simply forgot to delete the sentence that said Dumbledore came. Sorry for any confusion that caused._**

**_Wow. I've gotten nearly 400 emails for alerts and favorites, plus review alerts in three days. Thanks for all of those emails and I think this is the most popular story at the beginning at any rate. I hope to have another few chapters out before Christmas, but as I'm going to be really busy, so I'll just have to see.  
_**

**_I also would like to thank everyone who answered my question. You're explanations were all quite helpful. Even though I'm American, I know not to call Great Britain/UK simply England as there are three countries on the island. One reviewer also wanted to know why I was wondering this. Well, it's mostly for Fleur as she's from France._**

**_I hope you enjoy the chapter.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. I also don't own Mary Poppins._**

_Harry_ looked slightly confused when he saw the chapter title.

**The Other Minister**

"Who's the other minister?" asked George.

"Either the Muggle Minister or the Minister that replaced Fudge," answered Bill.

"Or both?" Tonks suggested.

"Maybe."

"Why is it that we never can get beyond the title without a discussion?" asked Molly with a slight groan. "_Harry_, please continue."

**It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister**

"So, it's the Muggle Minister," said little Ron.

"Why does it have to start with him?" asked little Ginny.

"The Muggle Minister knows about the wizarding world," said Arthur. "Of course, they know not to say anything about it and are often Obliviated of their knowledge when their term is over."

"Why?" asked Percy curiously.

"Sometimes it's necessary to have contacts in the Muggle world," Arthur explained, "especially during a war as oftentimes both groups are affected.

**was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. He was waiting for a call from the President of a far distant country, and between wondering when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult week, there was not much space in his head for anything else.**

**The more he attempted to focus on the print on the page before him, the more clearly the Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his political opponents. This particular opponent had appeared on the news that very day, not only to enumerate all the terrible things that had happened in the last week (as though anyone needed reminding) but also to explain why each and every one of them was the government's fault.**

"Well, often mistakes are the government's fault in one way or another," said Arthur. "At least they almost always play a role in the mistakes."

**The Prime Minister's pulse quickened at the very thought of these accusations, for they were neither fair nor true. How on earth was his government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing? It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending enough on bridges. The bridge was fewer than ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below.**

"Voldemort," muttered Remus.

**And how dare anyone suggest that it was lack of policemen that had resulted in those two very nasty and well-publicized murders?**

"Again, Voldemort," said Sirius.

**Or that the government should have somehow foreseen the freak hurricane in the West Country that had caused so much damage to both people and property?**

"Probably giants along with Voldemort," added Remus.

"It was," _Harry_ confirmed.

**And was it his fault that one of his Junior Ministers, Herbert Chorley, had chosen this week to act so peculiarly that he was now going to be spending a lot more time with his family?**

"Imperius curse?" suggested Bill.

"Perhaps, but why would Voldemort want to Imperius a Muggle?" wondered Tonks.

"Maybe he's trying to take over the Muggle world as well as the wizarding world this time," Bill suggested, desperately hoping that this was not correct, but at the same time knowing he probably was.

"But last time he left the Muggle's alone for the most part," said Molly.

"This isn't last time," said Remus calmly, though his face was pale. "I know that this war will have to be more destructive than the last one as this was the time the books were sent to us at. Also, Voldemort probably learned from his mistakes, which I hope isn't true."

"Some he did and others he didn't," said _Harry_. "He never figured out how to kill me."

**"A grim mood has gripped the country," the opponent had concluded, barely concealing his own broad grin.**

**And unfortunately, this was perfectly true. The Prime Minister felt it himself; people really did seem more miserable than usual. Even the weather was dismal; all this chilly mist in the middle of July… It wasn't right, it wasn't normal…**

"Dementors," said Sirius with a shudder. He knew that he never would recover from their effects. Remus looked gently at his friend and placed his hand on Sirius' shoulder.

**He turned over the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and gave it up as a bad job. Stretching his arms above his head he looked around his office mournfully. It was a handsome room, with a fine marble fireplace facing the long sash windows, firmly closed against the unseasonable chill. With a slight shiver, the Prime Minister got up and moved over to the window, looking out at the thin mist that was pressing itself against the glass. It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him.**

**He froze, nose to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass. He knew that cough. He had heard it before. He turned very slowly to face the empty room.**

**"Hello?" he said, trying to sound braver than he felt.**

**For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that nobody would answer him. However, a voice responded at once, a crisp, decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared statement. It was coming — as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough — from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting in the far corner of the room.**

"The Prime Minister has a portrait in his office?" asked Percy in shock. "Th-that shouldn't be allowed!"

"Percy, the Ministry has records of all the portraits and where they are," Arthur responded calmly. "I'm certain they know about this particular portrait and it's there for a reason."

**"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge."**

"He's still Minister?" cried Charlie. "I thought you said he was sacked!"

"He is," assured _Ron_. "It'll happen quite soon. This probably takes place right before he's sacked."

**The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister.**

**"Er," said the Prime Minister, "listen… It's not a very good time for me… I'm waiting for a telephone call, you see… from the President of —"**

**"That can be rearranged," said the portrait at once. The Prime Minister's heart sank. He had been afraid of that.**

**"But I really was rather hoping to speak —"**

**"We shall arrange for the President to forget to call. He will telephone tomorrow night instead," said the little man. "Kindly respond immediately to Mr. Fudge."**

**"I… oh… very well," said the Prime Minister weakly. "Yes, I'll see Fudge."**

"He should eat him to," said little Ginny firmly. After a moment's thought she added, "Can we turn Fudge into fudge?"

"Ginevra!" cried Molly. "You don't speak of people like that, even if they aren't good."

"What about Voldemort?" asked Bill.

"He doesn't count as human," _Ron_ responded.

**He hurried back to his desk, straightening his tie as he went. He had barely resumed his seat, and arranged his face into what he hoped was a relaxed and unfazed expression, when bright green flames burst into life in the empty grate beneath his marble mantelpiece. He watched, trying not to betray a flicker of surprise or alarm, as a portly man appeared within the flames, spinning as fast as a top. Seconds later, he had climbed out onto a rather fine antique rug, brushing ash from the sleeves of his long pin-striped cloak, a lime-green bowler hat in his hand.**

**"Ah… Prime Minister," said Cornelius Fudge, striding forward with his hand outstretched. "Good to see you again."**

**The Prime Minister could not honestly return this compliment, so said nothing at all.**

"Good. Fudge doesn't deserve anything nice said about him," muttered Sirius.

**He was not remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very bad news. Furthermore, Fudge was looking distinctly careworn. He was thinner, balder, and grayer, and his face had a crumpled look.**

"So it's not the pristine job it looked to be," grinned Charlie. "Finally."

"What?" asked little Ginny.

"It never looked like he tried to do anything as he never looked old," Charlie explained. "And since a lot of crazy things are no happening, they're taking a told on Fudge's health."**  
**

** The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded well.**

**"How can I help you?" he said, shaking Fudge's hand very briefly and gesturing toward the hardest of the chairs in front of the desk.**

**"Difficult to know where to begin," muttered Fudge, pulling up the chair, sitting down, and placing his green bowler upon his knees. "What a week, what a week…"**

**"Had a bad one too, have you?" asked the Prime Minister stiffly, hoping to convey by this that he had quite enough on his plate already without any extra helpings from Fudge.**

**"Yes, of course," said Fudge, rubbing his eyes wearily and looking morosely at the Prime Minister. "I've been having the same week you have, Prime Minister. The Brockdale Bridge… the Bones and Vance murders…**

"N-Not Amelia and Emmaline!" cried Molly.

Sirius' eyes widened. He had been friends with Emmaline during his Hogwarts years. She had been a Gryffindor a few years above him and a member of the first Order. Remus too looked up in horror. He hadn't known Amelia and Emmaline very well, but he had known them. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to hear about more deaths, even if they were of people he didn't know as well as Sirius.

_Harry_ nodded sadly. "There were many sudden deaths once Voldemort came out of hiding, though it didn't come to open combat very often."

"So, more guerrilla-like?" asked little Hermione.

"Gorilla?" asked Fred. "Gorillas fight in the war?"

Percy groaned and face-palmed his forehead. "It's a different type of gorilla Fred," he said. "Guerrilla, spelled G-U-E-R-R-I-L-L-A, is a kind of secret warfare in which at least one side is laying in wait and attacks and retreats quickly."

"I still think gorillas would be cool," muttered Fred.

"Gorillas are scary though," said little Ginny.

"No they're not!" cried Fred.

"Are too!"

"Are not!

"Are too!"

"Are no-"

"FRED! GINNY!" shouted Molly. "Stop it! _Harry_, please continue."

**not to mention the ruckus in the West Country…"**

**"You — er — your — I mean to say, some of your people were — were involved in those — those things, were they?"**

**Fudge fixed the Prime Minister with a rather stern look. "Of course they were," he said, "Surely you've realized what's going on?"**

**"I…" hesitated the Prime Minister.**

**It was precisely this sort of behavior that made him dislike Fudge's visits so much. He was, after all, the Prime Minister and did not appreciate being made to feel like an ignorant schoolboy. But of course, it had been like this from his very first meeting with Fudge on his very first evening as Prime Minister. He remembered it as though it were yesterday and knew it would haunt him until his dying day.**

"Or Oblivation day," added Charlie cheekily.

**He had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself.**

**Naturally, he had thought that the long campaign and the strain of the election had caused him to go mad. He had been utterly terrified to find a portrait talking to him, though this had been nothing to how he felt when a self-proclaimed wizard had bounced out of the fireplace and shaken his hand. He had remained speechless throughout Fudge's kindly explanation that there were witches and wizards still living in secret all over the world and his reassurances that he was not to bother his head about them as the Ministry of Magic took responsibility for the whole Wizarding community and prevented the non-magical population from getting wind of them. It was, said Fudge, a difficult job that encompassed everything from regulations on responsible use of broomsticks to keeping the dragon population under control (the Prime Minister remembered clutching the desk for support at this point). Fudge had then patted the shoulder of the still-dumbstruck Prime Minister in a fatherly sort of way.**

"I am very thankful he never became a father," shuddered _Harry_. "Imagine what that kid would've been like."

**"Not to worry," he had said, "it's odds-on you'll never see me again. I'll only bother you if there's something really serious going on our end, something that's likely to affect the Muggles — the non-magical population, I should say. Otherwise, it's live and let live. And I must say, you're taking it a lot better than your predecessor. He tried to throw me out the window, thought I was a hoax planned by the opposition."**

**At this, the Prime Minister had found his voice at last. "You're — you're not a hoax, then?"**

"I wish he was," muttered _Hermione_.

**It had been his last, desperate hope.**

**"No," said Fudge gently. "No, I'm afraid I'm not. Look."**

**And he had turned the Prime Minister's teacup into a gerbil.**

**"But," said the Prime Minister breathlessly, watching his teacup chewing on the corner of his next speech, "but why — why has nobody told me —?"**

**"The Minister of Magic only reveals him — or herself to the Muggle Prime Minister of the day," said Fudge, poking his wand back inside his jacket. "We find it the best way to maintain secrecy."**

"What about the Queen?" asked little Hermione. "Does she know about the wizarding world?"

"Yes she does," Arthur answered, "but as the royal family is constant, we don't have to tell them every time a new king or queen ascends to the throne. The Prime Minister on the other hand is elected and it changes frequently, so we have to announce the wizarding world to him or her frequently."

**"But then," bleated the Prime Minister, "why hasn't a former Prime Minister warned me —?"**

**At this, Fudge had actually laughed.**

"Fudge laughing?" asked a somewhat disgusted _Ron_. "I could do without that mental picture."

"I'm just thankful we'll never have to hear that," shuddered _Ginny_.**  
**

**"My dear Prime Minister, are you ever going to tell anybody?"**

"Zat would be one way to get zown out of office," said Fleur. "Everyone would zink ze Prime Minister insane."

**Still chortling, Fudge had thrown some powder into the fireplace, stepped into the emerald flames, and vanished with a whooshing sound. The Prime Minister had stood there, quite motionless, and realized that he would never, as long as he lived, dare mention this encounter to a living soul, for who in the wide world would believe him?**

**The shock had taken a little while to wear off. For a time, he had tried to convince himself that Fudge had indeed been a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his grueling election campaign.**

"Too bad that's not true," muttered _Ron_.

**In a vain attempt to rid himself of all reminders of this uncomfortable encounter, he had given the gerbil to his delighted niece and instructed his private secretary to take down the portrait of the ugly little man who had announced Fudge's arrival. To the Prime Minister's dismay, however, the portrait had proved impossible to remove.**

"Sticking charm," said George.

"We know that," said an annoyed Percy. _Why did everyone have to say the obvious?_**  
**

** When several carpenters, a builder or two, an art historian, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had all tried unsuccessfully to pry it from the wall, the Prime Minister had abandoned the attempt and simply resolved to hope that the thing remained motionless and silent for the rest of his term in office. Occasionally he could have sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice, simply walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy-brown canvas behind.**

"That's breaking the Statute -"

"Perce, lay off," interrupted Bill. "You seem to be getting a bit better, but you still need to learn when to calm down. The portrait probably only walks off when the Prime Minister is alone in the office."

**However, he had trained himself not to look at the picture very much, and always to tell himself firmly that his eyes were playing tricks on him when anything like this happened.**

**Then, three years ago, on a night very like tonight, the Prime Minister had been alone in his office when the portrait had once again announced the imminent arrival of Fudge, who had burst out of the fireplace, sopping wet and in a state of considerable panic. Before the Prime Minister could ask why he was dripping all over the Axminster, Fudge had started ranting about a prison the Prime Minister had never heard of, a man named "Serious"**

_Harry_ chortled and when no one else got the joke he said, "It's spelled S-E-R-I-O-U-S."

"And I am," said Sirius. "I'm a serious Sirius."

"Uh, Sirius, I don't think that's true," said Remus with a grin.

"I can be serious when I want to be," Sirius defended. Remus just groaned.

**Black, something that sounded like "Hogwarts," and a boy called Harry Potter, none of which made the remotest sense to the Prime Minister.**

**"… I've just come from Azkaban," Fudge had panted, tipping a large amount of water out of the rim of his bowler hat into his pocket. "Middle of the North Sea, you know, nasty flight… the dementors are in uproar"— he shuddered — "they've never had a breakout before. Anyway, I had to come to you, Prime Minister. Black's a known Muggle killer and may be planning to rejoin You-Know-Who… But of course, you don't even know who You-Know-Who is!" He had gazed hopelessly at the Prime Minister for a moment, then said, "Well, sit down, sit down, I'd better fill you in… Have a whiskey…"**

"So, this meeting is right after I've escaped," murmured Sirius.

**The Prime Minister rather resented being told to sit down in his own office, let alone offered his own whiskey, but he sat nevertheless. Fudge pulled out his wand, conjured two large glasses full of amber liquid out of thin air, pushed one of them into the Prime Minister's hand, and drew up a chair.**

**Fudge had talked for more than an hour. At one point, he had refused to say a certain name aloud and wrote it instead on a piece of parchment,**

There were several groans and shakes of the head at this.

**which he had thrust into the Prime Minister's whiskey-free hand. When at last Fudge had stood up to leave, the Prime Minister had stood up too.**

**"So you think that…" He had squinted down at the name in his left hand. "Lord Vol —"**

"Come on, say it," encouraged Tonks.

**"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" snarled Fudge.**

"Drat," muttered Charlie.

**"I'm sorry… You think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is still alive, then?"**

**"Well, Dumbledore says he is," said Fudge, as he had fastened his pin-striped cloak under his chin, "but we've never found him. If you ask me, he's not dangerous unless he's got support, so it's Black we ought to be worrying about.**

"And two years later he firmly believes that Voldemort had been gone from the moment of the attack in 1981," muttered _Ginny_ angrily.

"I've said it already and will continue to say it," said _Ron_. "Fudge is an idiot."

**You'll put out that warning, then? Excellent. Well, I hope we don't see each other again, Prime Minister! Good night."**

**But they had seen each other again. Less than a year later a harassed-looking Fudge had appeared out of thin air in the cabinet room to inform the Prime Minister that there had been a spot of bother at the Kwidditch**

"Spelled with a K-W," said _Harry_ with a grin.

"Can Muggle's spell anything?" asked Charlie.

"S-U-P-E-R-C-A-L-I-F-R-A-G-I-L-I-S-T-I-C-E-X-P-I-A-L-I-D-O-C-I-O-U-S," rattled off little Hermione and she earned several confused looks.

"What in the world?" asked Tonks who was scratching her head. She spelling had sounded like gibberish to her.

"Super-califragilisticexpialidocious," little Hermione explained simply. "It's thirty-four letters long and is the title of a song from the musical Mary Poppins."

"And naturally you'd know how to spell it," muttered _Ron_.

**(or that was what it had sounded like) World Cup and that several Muggles had been "involved," but that the Prime Minister was not to worry, the fact that You-Know-Who's Mark had been seen again meant nothing; Fudge was sure it was an isolated incident, and the Muggle Liaison Office was dealing with all memory modifications as they spoke.**

**"Oh, and I almost forgot," Fudge had added. "We're importing three foreign dragons and a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament, quite routine, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tells me that it's down in the rule book that we have to notify you if we're bringing highly dangerous creatures into the country."**

**"I — what — dragons?" spluttered the Prime Minister.**

**"Yes, three," said Fudge. "And a sphinx. Well, good day to you."**

"I'd like to have seen his face," grinned Charlie.

**The Prime Minister had hoped beyond hope that dragons and sphinxes would be the worst of it, but no. Less than two years later, Fudge had erupted out of the fire yet again, this time with the news that there had been a mass breakout from Azkaban.**

**"A mass breakout?" repeated the Prime Minister hoarsely.**

**"No need to worry, no need to worry!" shouted Fudge, already with one foot in the flames. "We'll have them rounded up in no time — just thought you ought to know!"**

**And before the Prime Minister could shout, "Now, wait just one moment!" Fudge had vanished in a shower of green sparks.**

"So I get a whole discussion and when the real Death Eaters escape, it's only a quick warning," muttered Sirius. "I am better liked."

"Sirius!" cried Remus in mock horror, but he winked at his friend.

**Whatever the press and the opposition might say, the Prime Minister was not a foolish man. It had not escaped his notice that, despite Fudge's assurances at their first meeting, they were now seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Fudge was becoming more flustered with each visit. Little though he liked to think about the Minister of Magic (or, as he always called Fudge in his head, the Other Minister),**

"So Fudge is the other Minister," murmured Neville.

**the Prime Minister could not help but fear that the next time Fudge appeared it would be with graver news still. The site, therefore, of Fudge stepping out of the fire once more, looking disheveled and fretful and sternly surprised that the Prime Minister did not know exactly why he was there, was about the worst thing that had happened in the course of this extremely gloomy week.**

"Everything always seems to happen at once at times," said Molly.

"That certainly is true," muttered _Harry_, remembering the worst twenty-four hours of his life.**  
**

**"How should I know what's going on in the — er — Wizarding community?" snapped the Prime Minister now. "I have a country to run and quite enough concerns at the moment without —"**

**"We have the same concerns," Fudge interrupted. "The Brockdale Bridge didn't wear out. That wasn't really a hurricane. Those murders were not the work of Muggles. And Herbert Chorley's family would be safer without him. We are currently making arrangements to have him transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The move should be affected tonight."**

"How often do Muggles end up in St. Mungo's?" asked Luna.

"Not very often," _Harry_ answered, "but whenever they're injured by magic which usually occurs when there is a fight in a Muggle area."**  
**

**"What do you… I'm afraid I… What?" blustered the Prime Minister.**

**Fudge took a great, deep breath and said, "Prime Minister, I am very sorry to have to tell you that he's back. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back."**

**"Back? When you say 'back'… he's alive? I mean —"**

**The Prime Minister groped in his memory for the details of that horrible conversation of three years previously, when Fudge had told him about the wizard who was feared above all others, the wizard who had committed a thousand terrible crimes before his mysterious disappearance fifteen years earlier.**

**"Yes, alive," said Fudge. "That is — I don't know — is a man alive if he can't be killed? I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain properly — but anyway, he's certainly got a body and is walking and talking and killing, so I suppose, for the purposes of our discussion, yes, he's alive."**

"If you can call it living," growled _Harry_.

"What do you mean?" inquired Arthur.

"Remember the diary?" _Harry_ responded. "That was a Horcrux, which Dumbledore already told you."

"H-He made more?" gasped Arthur while Sirius stared straight ahead with a horrified expression on his face.

"How many more?" asked a white Remus. He didn't know fully what a Horcrux was, except that it involved splitting the soul.

"You'll find out throughout this book and the next one," said _Harry_ quietly.

No one seemed very happy with this answer, but _Harry_ quickly started to read again.

**The Prime Minister did not know what to say to this, but a persistent habit of wishing to appear well-informed on any subject that came up made him cast around for any details he could remember of their previous conversations.**

**"Is Serious Black with — er — He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"**

"Never," growled Sirius.

**"Black? Black?" said Fudge distractedly, turning his bowler rapidly in his fingers. "Sirius Black, you mean? Merlin's beard, no. Black's dead. Turns out we were — er — mistaken about Black.**

"At least he admits it," muttered an angry Sirius. He was extremely thankful that Fudge wasn't minister yet and hopefully that wouldn't happen.

**He was innocent after all. And he wasn't in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named either. I mean," he added defensively, spinning the bowler hat still faster, "all the evidence pointed — we had more than fifty eyewitnesses — but anyway, as I say, he's dead. Murdered, as a matter of fact. On Ministry of Magic premises. There's going to be an inquiry, actually…"**

**To his great surprise, the Prime Minister felt a fleeting stab of pity for Fudge at this point.**

"You shouldn't be feeling pity for someone like that," snarled Sirius.

"Sirius, pity is a great thing," _Harry_ said calmly. "Pity is what-what stays our hand at times. And yes, _Hermione_, I know Gandalf said that, but I can't think of a different way to word it.

"I have pity for nearly everyone that has been against me at some point or other. The exceptions are Umbridge and Skeeter. Everyone else I have pity for to a certain degree."

"Even Voldemort?" asked a horrified Sirius.

"Yes, Sirius," said _Harry_, still calm. "And you'll understand. This book gives a lot of the back-story to Voldemort."

**It was, however, eclipsed almost immediately by a glow of smugness at the thought that, deficient though he himself might be in the area of materializing out of fireplaces, there had never been a murder in any of the government departments under his charge… Not yet, anyway…**

**While the Prime Minister surreptitiously touched the wood of his desk, Fudge continued, "But Black's by-the-by now. The point is, we're at war, Prime Minister, and steps must be taken."**

**"At war?" repeated the Prime Minister nervously. "Surely that's a little bit of an overstatement?"**

"More like understatement," muttered _Ron_. At least, the second wizarding war with Voldemort hadn't been a normal war. That involved open combat. In his opinion secret, guerrilla warfare was worse than open warfare. No one knew what was going on in guerrilla warfare. Whoever had said 'No news is good news' certainly hadn't lived through a war. No news was often worse than the actual news. At least news confirmed things whereas no news caused nightmares.

**"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of Azkaban in January," said Fudge, speaking more and more rapidly and twirling his bowler so fast that it was a lime-green blur. "Since they have moved into the open, they have been wreaking havoc. The Brockdale Bridge — he did it, Prime Minister, he threatened a mass Muggle killing unless I stood aside for him and —"**

**"Good grief, so it's your fault those people were killed and I'm having to answer questions about rusted rigging and corroded expansion joints and I don't know what else!" said the Prime Minister furiously.**

**"My fault!" said Fudge, coloring up. "Are you saying you would have caved in to blackmail like that?"**

"Yes," chorused the entire room, minus Molly of course. Naturally she was angry at Fudge, but that still didn't mean that she could act immature.

**"Maybe not," said the Prime Minister, standing up and striding about the room, "but I would have put all my efforts into catching the blackmailer before he committed any such atrocity!"**

**"Do you really think I wasn't already making every effort?" demanded Fudge heatedly. "Every Auror in the Ministry was — and is — trying to find him and round up his followers, but we happen to be talking about one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!"**

**"So I suppose you're going to tell me he caused the hurricane in the West Country too?" said the Prime Minister, his temper rising with every pace he took. It was infuriating to discover the reason for all these terrible disasters and not to be able to tell the public, almost worse than it being the government's fault after all.**

**"That was no hurricane," said Fudge miserably.**

**"Excuse me!" barked the Prime Minister, now positively stamping up and down. "Trees uprooted, roofs ripped off, lampposts bent, horrible injuries —"**

**"It was the Death Eaters," said Fudge. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers. And… and we suspect giant involvement."**

"If there were uprooted trees, there has to be giants," said Arthur, remembering what Grawp had been like in the book.

"You better not get close to any more giants," said Sirius firmly and giving Harry a look.

"We don't deliberately go near a giant again," said _Harry_ carefully, but he only caused Sirius and Remus to groan.

"You're a magnet for danger," sighed Remus with a shake of his head.

"And you only just figured that out?" asked _Ron_ in surprise. "This is the guy who simply by his presence can cause trouble."

"_Ron_!" cried _Harry_, but he knew it was the truth.**  
**

**The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks as though he had hit an invisible wall. "What involvement?"**

**Fudge grimaced. "He used giants last time, when he wanted to go for the grand effect," he said. "The Office of Misinformation has been working around the clock, we've had teams of Obliviators out trying to modify the memories of all the Muggles who saw what really happened, we've got most of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures running around Somerset, but we can't find the giant — it's been a disaster."**

**"You don't say!" said the Prime Minister furiously.**

**"I won't deny that morale is pretty low at the Ministry," said Fudge. "What with all that, and then losing Amelia Bones."**

**"Losing who?"**

**"Amelia Bones. Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named may have murdered her in person, because she was a very gifted witch and — and all the evidence was that she put up a real fight."**

**Fudge cleared his throat and, with an effort, it seemed, stopped spinning his bowler hat.**

**"But that murder was in the newspapers," said the Prime Minister, momentarily diverted from his anger. "Our newspapers. Amelia Bones… it just said she was a middle-aged woman who lived alone. It was a — a nasty killing, wasn't it? It's had rather a lot of publicity. The police are baffled, you see."**

**Fudge sighed. "Well, of course they are," he said. "Killed in a room that was locked from the inside, wasn't she? We, on the other hand, know exactly who did it, not that that gets us any further toward catching him. And then there was Emmeline Vance, maybe you didn't hear about that one —"**

**"Oh yes I did!" said the Prime Minister. "It happened just around the corner from here, as a matter of fact. The papers had a field day with it, 'breakdown of law and order in the Prime Minister's backyard — '"**

**"And as if all that wasn't enough," said Fudge, barely listening to the Prime Minister, "we've got Dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left, right, and center…"**

"That's worse than the previous war," murmured Remus. "That time the Dementors weren't on either side."

**Once upon a happier time this sentence would have been unintelligible to the Prime Minister, but he was wiser now.**

**"I thought Dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban," he said cautiously.**

**"They did," said Fudge wearily. "But not anymore. They've deserted the prison and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I won't pretend that wasn't a blow."**

"At least he's finally admitting they're not under Ministry control," muttered Remus.

**"But," said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror, "didn't you tell me they're the creatures that drain hope and happiness out of people?"**

**"That's right. And they're breeding. That's what's causing all this mist."**

"Dementors can breed?" asked little Harry in horror. There were hundreds already, more would be worse.

"If they can do that, can they be destroyed?" wondered little Hermione.

"Perhaps," Arthur answered, "though no one to my knowledge has ever tried it."

"Well, someone should," said Tonks. "Or at least they should be banished to Antarctica. I doubt they could make the place much more dismal."

**The Prime Minister sank, weak-kneed, into the nearest chair. The idea of invisible creatures swooping through the towns and countryside, spreading despair and hopelessness in his voters, made him feel quite faint.**

**"Now see here, Fudge — you've got to do something! It's your responsibility as Minister of Magic!"**

**"My dear Prime Minister, you can't honestly think I'm still Minister of Magic after all this?**

"YES!"

"HOORAY!"

"YIPPEE!"

Several other gleeful shouts were heard as well. Everyone was extremely thankful that the idiot was no longer in charge of Wizarding Britain. Perhaps they could actually start to fight the war then.

**I was sacked three days ago! The whole Wizarding community has been screaming for my resignation for a fortnight. I've never known them so united in my whole term of office!" said Fudge, with a brave attempt at a smile.**

**The Prime Minister was momentarily lost for words. Despite his indignation at the position into which he had been placed, he still rather felt for the shrunken-looking man sitting opposite him.**

**"I'm very sorry," he said finally. "If there's anything I can do?"**

"Don't" groaned Sirius. "He doesn't deserve any pity."

"Sirius," _Harry_ said firmly.

**"It's very kind of you, Prime Minister, but there is nothing. I was sent here tonight to bring you up to date on recent events and to introduce you to my successor. I rather thought he'd be here by now, but of course, he's very busy at the moment, with so much going on."**

**Fudge looked around at the portrait of the ugly little man wearing the long curly silver wig, who was digging in his ear with the point of a quill. Catching Fudge's eye, the portrait said, "He'll be here in a moment, he's just finishing a letter to Dumbledore."**

**"I wish him luck," said Fudge, sounding bitter for the first time. "I've been writing to Dumbledore twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge. If he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be…**

"There is no way on earth you he would've still been Minister after the fiasco at the Ministry!" cried _Ginny_.

**Well, maybe Scrimgeour will have more success."**

"Wait, Scrimgeour becomes the next Minister?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah," _Ron_ answered.

"Well, he'll be better than Fudge at any rate, though he isn't the best man for the job," said Sirius. "He'll try and fight the Death Eaters at least. And he won't let them walk over him."

**Fudge subsided into what was clearly an aggrieved silence, but it was broken almost immediately by the portrait, which suddenly spoke in its crisp, official voice.**

**"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Requesting a meeting. Urgent. Kindly respond immediately. Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic."**

**"Yes, yes, fine," said the Prime Minister distractedly, and he barely flinched as the flames in the grate turned emerald green again, rose up, and revealed a second spinning wizard in their heart, disgorging him moments later onto the antique rug.**

**Fudge got to his feet and, after a moment's hesitation, the Prime Minister did the same, watching the new arrival straighten up, dust down his long black robes, and look around.**

**The Prime Minister's first, foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like an old lion.**

"I love your descriptions," said _Hermione_ with a shake of her head.

"Oi! I don't know anything about this chapter!" defended _Harry_, but he too was amused.

"How is this chapter in here if you don't know it?" asked Neville.

_Harry_ shrugged. "I guess this info came out and the author decided it would be helpful to anyone reading."

**There were streaks of gray in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp. There was an immediate impression of shrewdness and toughness; the Prime Minister thought he understood why the Wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour to Fudge as a leader in these dangerous times.**

**"How do you do?" said the Prime Minister politely, holding out his hand.**

**Scrimgeour grasped it briefly, his eyes scanning the room, then pulled out a wand from under his robes.**

**"Fudge told you everything?" he asked, striding over to the door and tapping the keyhole with his wand. The Prime Minister heard the lock click.**

**"Er — yes," said the Prime Minister. "And if you don't mind, I'd rather that door remained unlocked."**

**"I'd rather not be interrupted," said Scrimgeour shortly, "or watched," he added, pointing his wand at the windows, so that the curtains swept across them.**

**"Right, well, I'm a busy man, so let's get down lo business. First of all, we need to discuss your security."**

**The Prime Minister drew himself up to his fullest height and replied, "I am perfectly happy with the security I've already got, thank you very —"**

**"Well, we're not," Scrimgeour cut in. "It'll be a poor lookout for the Muggles if their Prime Minister gets put under the Imperius Curse. The new secretary in your outer office —"**

**"I'm not getting rid of Kingsley Shacklebolt,**

"Kingsley's working for the Muggle Prime Minister?" asked Sirius in surprise.

"Yeah, he did for a bit," said _Harry_. "Fudge meant for that to be an insult after Kingsley wasn't much help when they tried to capture Dumbledore, but Kingsley loved it."

**if that's what you're suggesting!" said the Prime Minister hotly. "He's highly efficient, gets through twice the work the rest of them —"**

**"That's because he's a wizard," said Scrimgeour, without a flicker of a smile. "A highly trained Auror, who has been assigned to you for your protection."**

**"Now, wait a moment!" declared the Prime Minister. "You can't just put your people into my office, I decide who works for me —"**

**"I thought you were happy with Shacklebolt?" said Scrimgeour coldly.**

**"I am — that's to say, I was —"**

**"Then there's no problem, is there?" said Scrimgeour.**

**"I… well, as long as Shacklebolt's work continues to be… er… excellent," said the Prime Minister lamely, but Scrimgeour barely seemed to hear him.**

**"Now, about Herbert Chorley, your Junior Minister," he continued. "The one who has been entertaining the public by impersonating a duck."**

"Yep, that's the Imperius Curse," said Charlie.

"Could we try and make someone that acts like a duck for a few minutes?" wondered George. Fred grinned wildly and nodded while Molly groaned.

**"What about him?" asked the Prime Minister.**

**"He has clearly reacted to a poorly performed Imperius Curse," said Scrimgeour. "It's addled his brains, but he could still be dangerous."**

**"He's only quacking!" said the Prime Minister weakly. "Surely a bit of a rest… Maybe go easy on the drink…"**

"Do Muggle's always pass of the Imperius Curse as drunkenness?" wondered Tonks.

"I'm not sure," admitted Arthur. "It rarely is performed on Muggles and the last time it would've happened would have been during the previous war."

**"A team of Healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries are examining him as we speak. So far he has attempted to strangle three of them," said Scrimgeour. "I think it best that we remove him from Muggle society for a while."**

**"I… well… He'll be all right, won't he?" said the Prime Minister anxiously.**

**Scrimgeour merely shrugged, already moving back toward the fireplace.**

**"Well, that's really all I had to say. I will keep you posted of developments, Prime Minister — or, at least, I shall probably be too busy to come personally, in which case I shall send Fudge here. He has consented to stay on in an advisory capacity."**

**Fudge attempted to smile, but was unsuccessful; he merely looked as though he had a toothache. Scrimgeour was already rummaging in his pocket for the mysterious powder that turned the fire green. The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last.**

**"But for heaven's sake — you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out — well — anything!"**

"Not everything," said Arthur sadly. "And the other side has powerful wizards as well."

**Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister."**

**And with that, the two wizards stepped one after the other into the bright green fire and vanished.**

"And that's it," said _Harry_.

"That wasn't from your perspective," said a confused Tonks. "How does that work?"

"I do not know," _Harry_ answered. "This chapter was almost all new to me, but this information probably would've been helpful this year. Who wants to read next?"

"I'll take the book," said Molly and she turned the page.

* * *

**_Helena: Thanks for the review and pointing out the error. As you can see, I explained what happened at the beginning of the chapter._**

**_loveedwardandjake: Thanks for the review._**

**_(): Thanks for the review. All of those events you mentioned are going to be quite interesting to write._**

_**RemySevvyFan: **_**_Thanks for the review. I too love Remus/Tonks, but I'm going to feel sorry for Charlie in this fic as he currently has a crush on Tonks._**


	3. Spinner's End

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but Christmastime is a busy time for me. I don't know how much time I'll have this week as well since my older sister is coming over to my family's house for a few days tomorrow. I will try to keep writing though._**

**_I hope you all had a happy Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza whatever it is that you celebrate.  
_**

**_This chapter was on the harder side to do, but I hope I did it justice.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. _**

Molly turned the page and began to read.**  
**

**Spinner's End**

Sirius started in shock.

"What?" asked little Harry, looking up into his godfather's face.

"That's where you're mother grew up," he said quietly. "As well as the greasy git."

"Snape lives in a Muggle neighborhood?" asked a surprised Charlie.

"Yes, he did," said Remus. "And for all I know, he could still be living there."**  
**

**Many miles away the chilly mist that had pressed against the Prime Minister's windows drifted over a dirty river that wound between overgrown, rubbish-strewn banks. An immense chimney, relic of a disused mill, reared up, shadowy and ominous. There was no sound apart from the whisper of the black water and no sign of life apart from a scrawny fox that had slunk down the bank to nose hopefully at some old fish-and-chip wrappings in the tall grass.**

**But then, with a very faint pop, a slim, hooded figure appeared out of thin air on the edge of the river. The fox froze, wary eyes fixed upon this strange new phenomenon. The figure seemed to take its bearings for a few moments, then set off with light, quick strides, its long cloak rustling over the grass.**

**With a second and louder pop, another hooded figure materialized.**

"**Wait!"**

**The harsh cry startled the fox, now crouching almost flat in the undergrowth. It leapt from its hiding place and up the bank. There was a flash of green light, a yelp, and the fox fell back to the ground, dead.**

"Death Eaters," snarled Sirius.

**The second figure turned over the animal with its toe.**

"**Just a fox," said a woman's voice dismissively from under the hood. "I thought perhaps an Auror — Cissy, wait!"**

"Narcissa's there," muttered Sirius.**  
**

**But her quarry, who had paused and looked back at the flash of light, was already scrambling up the bank the fox had just fallen down.**

"**Cissy — Narcissa — listen to me —"**

**The second woman caught the first and seized her arm, but the other wrenched it away.**

"**Go back, Bella!"**

"Drat!" shouted Sirius. "What in the name of Merlin is Bellatrix doing there?"

"Sirius, calm down," said Remus. "This is the future, remember."**  
**

"**You must listen to me!"**

"**I've listened already. I've made my decision. Leave me alone!"**

"Wow, I've never heard Cissy speak to Bella like that," said Sirius in surprise. "Cissy always was the meek one."**  
**

**The woman named Narcissa gained the top of the bank, where a line of old railings separated the river from a narrow, cobbled street. The other woman, Bella, followed at once. Side by side they stood looking across the road at the rows and rows of dilapidated brick houses, their windows dull and blind in the darkness.**

"**He lives here?" asked Bella in a voice of contempt. "Here? In this Muggle dunghill? We must be the first of our kind ever to set foot —"**

"Nope," said Sirius, popping the 'p'. "Lily's been in that area, as well as James, Remus, and me."

"Me too?" asked little Harry.

"I think you were at your maternal grandparents once or twice," said Sirius.

"Why didn't I go to their house after Mum and Dad . . . after . . ." little Harry's voice trailed off.

Sirius shut his eyes tightly for a brief moment. "Harry, they died in a car accident about a month before the attack," he said quietly.

"Oh," said little Harry quietly. "And Daddy's parents?"

Sirius sighed. "They died during James' seventh year." Sirius was trying to keep the pain from his voice. James' parents had practically been his parents since he ran away at sixteen.

_Harry_ looked up quickly. He had never heard the details on why he didn't have grandparents. Well, he had overheard Petunia telling Dudley why he only had grandparents on his dad's side, but he never had really known what had happened to his Potter grandparents. He knew they had died while his dad had still been young, but he didn't know any more than that.

**But Narcissa was not listening; she had slipped through a gap in the rusty railings and was already hurrying across the road.**

"**Cissy, wait!"**

**Bella followed, her cloak streaming behind, and saw Narcissa darting through an alley between the houses into a second, almost identical street. Some of the streetlamps were broken; the two women were running between patches of light and deep darkness. The pursuer caught up with her prey just as she turned another corner, this time succeeding in catching hold of her arm and swinging her around so that they faced each other.**

"**Cissy, you must not do this, you can't trust him —"**

"**The Dark Lord trusts him, doesn't he?"**

"Snape," growled Sirius.**  
**

"**The Dark Lord is… I believe… mistaken," Bella panted, **

"Wait, did Bellatrix just say Voldemort made a mistake?" cried Sirius with raised eyebrows. "She kisses the very ground he walks on!"

"Yuck," said little Ginny. "Who'd kiss the ground?"

"You would with Harry," teased Fred.

Little Ginny glared angrily at her brother. "I do not!" she shouted. "Kissing the ground is icky!"

"It's an expression," said Bill gently. "It usually has to deal with someone admiring someone else a great deal."

"Oh," said little Ginny. "But I still wouldn't kiss any ground!"

**and her eyes gleamed momentarily under her hood as she looked around to check that they were indeed alone. "In any case, we were told not to speak of the plan to anyone. This is a betrayal of the Dark Lord's —"**

"**Let go, Bella!" snarled Narcissa, and she drew a wand from beneath her cloak, holding it threateningly in the other's face. Bella merely laughed.**

"**Cissy, your own sister? You wouldn't —"**

"**There is nothing I wouldn't do anymore!" Narcissa breathed, a note of hysteria in her voice, and as she brought down the wand like a knife, there was another flash of light. Bella let go of her sister's arm as though burned.**

"Prob'bly was," muttered Sirius.**  
**

"**Narcissa!"**

**But Narcissa had rushed ahead. Rubbing her hand, her pursuer followed again, keeping her distance now, as they moved deeper into the deserted labyrinth of brick houses. At last, Narcissa hurried up a street named Spinner's End, over which the towering mill chimney seemed to hover like a giant admonitory finger. Her footsteps echoed on the cobbles as she passed boarded and broken windows, until she reached the very last house, where a dim light glimmered through the curtains in a downstairs room.**

**She had knocked on the door before Bella, cursing under her breath, had caught up. Together they stood waiting, panting slightly, breathing in the smell of the dirty river that was carried to them on the night breeze. After a few seconds, they heard movement behind the door and it opened a crack. A sliver of a man could be seen looking out at them, a man with long black hair parted in curtains around a sallow face and black eyes.**

"So Snape still is there," muttered Sirius again.**  
**

**Narcissa threw back her hood. She was so pale that she seemed to shine in the darkness; the long blonde hair streaming down her back gave her the look of a drowned person.**

"**Narcissa!" said the man, opening the door a little wider, so that the light fell upon her and her sister too. "What a pleasant surprise!**

"**Severus," she said in a strained whisper. "May I speak to you? It's urgent."**

"**But of course."**

**He stood back to allow her to pass him into the house. Her still-hooded sister followed without invitation.**

"**Snape," she said curtly as she passed him.**

"**Bellatrix," he replied, his thin mouth curling into a slightly mocking smile as he closed the door with a snap behind them.**

"No one ever wants to be in a room with her," shuddered Sirius. "Bad things always happen."**  
**

**They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place had an air of neglect, as though it was not usually inhabited.**

**Snape gestured Narcissa to the sofa. She threw off her cloak, cast it aside, and sat down, staring at her white and trembling hands clasped in her lap. Bellatrix lowered her hood more slowly. Dark as her sister was fair, with heavily lidded eyes and a strong jaw, she did not take her gaze from Snape as she moved to stand behind Narcissa.**

"**So, what can I do for you?" Snape asked, settling himself in the armchair opposite the two sisters.**

"**We… we are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa asked quietly.**

"**Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?"**

Remus and Sirius snarled sharply.

In some ways it was a bit awkward for Remus as merely days ago he had regarded Pettigrew as a hero and had thought Sirius a traitor. Now that was completely turned around. Sirius on the other hand had been livid at Wormtail for the past six years.**  
**

**He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him and with a bang, a hidden door flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen.**

"**As you have clearly realized, Wormtail, we have guests," said Snape lazily.**

**The man crept, hunchbacked, down the last few steps and moved into the room. He had small, watery eyes, a pointed nose, and wore an unpleasant simper. His left hand was caressing his right, which looked as though it was encased in a bright silver glove.**

"**Narcissa!" he said, in a squeaky voice. "And Bellatrix! How charming —"**

"**Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them," said Snape. "And then he will return to his bedroom."**

**Wormtail winced as though Snape had thrown something at him.**

"**I am not your servant!" he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eye.**

"**Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me."**

"That rat deserves anything he gets," growled Remus.

"I just hope he stays in Azkaban," continued Sirius just as darkly.**  
**

"**To assist, yes — but not to make you drinks and — and clean your house!"**

"But that's what assist means," protested little Hermione.

"I doesn't always have to do with housecleaning," said Molly gently. "Any form of help can be assistance."**  
**

"**I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments," said Snape silkily. "This can be easily arranged: I shall speak to the Dark Lord —"**

"**I can speak to him myself if I want to!"**

"**Of course you can," said Snape, sneering. "But in the meantime, bring us drinks. Some of the elf-made wine will do."**

"Elves make wine?" asked little Hermione in slight surprise.

"And good wine too," added Bill.

"And where might you have this information?" asked Molly.

"Um, Hogsmeade," muttered a red-faced Bill. "I didn't buy it. One of my overage friends did."

"Molly, leave him alone," said Arthur before Molly could do anything else. "I doubt anything major came of it."**  
**

**Wormtail hesitated for a moment, looking as though he might argue, but then turned and headed through a second hidden door. They heard banging and a clinking of glasses. Within seconds he was back, bearing a dusty bottle and three glasses upon a tray. He dropped these on the rickety table and scurried from their presence, slamming the book-covered door behind him.**

**Snape poured out three glasses of blood-red wine and handed two of them to the sisters. Narcissa murmured a word of thanks, whilst Bellatrix said nothing, but continued to glower at Snape. This did not seem to discompose him; on the contrary, he looked rather amused.**

"I do _not_ want to see an amused Snape," said Sirius, stressing the word not.

"I don't think anyone does," said Bill in complete agreement.**  
**

"**The Dark Lord," he said, raising his glass and draining it.**

**The sisters copied him. Snape refilled their glasses. As Narcissa took her second drink she said in a rush, "Severus, I'm sorry to come here like this, but I had to see you. I think you are the only one who can help me —"**

"She must be desperate then," said Sirius.**  
**

**Snape held up a hand to stop her, then pointed his wand again at the concealed staircase door. There was a loud bang and a squeal, followed by the sound of Wormtail scurrying back up the stairs.**

"**My apologies," said Snape. "He has lately taken to listening at doors, I don't know what he means by it… You were saying, Narcissa?"**

**She took a great, shuddering breath and started again.**

"**Severus, I know I ought not to be here, I have been told to say nothing to anyone, but —"**

"**Then you ought to hold your tongue!" snarled Bellatrix. "Particularly in present company!"**

'"**Present company'?" repeated Snape sardonically. "And what am I to understand by that, Bellatrix?"**

"**That I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know!"**

"No one should trust him," growled Sirius. "He's a stinking Slytherin."

"Sirius, stop it," said _Harry_ calmly. "And I mean it. Snape will do things that will make you hate him, but I don't want you hating him just for being who he is."

"B-But," spluttered Sirius, but was stopped by a glance from _Harry_. "You really look like Lily when you do that," said Sirius with a slight shudder.**  
**

**Narcissa let out a noise that might have been a dry sob and covered her face with her hands. Snape set his glass down upon the table and sat back again, his hands upon the arms of his chair, smiling into Bellatrix's glowering face.**

"**Narcissa, I think we ought to hear what Bellatrix is bursting to say; it will save tedious interruptions. Well, continue, Bellatrix," said Snape. "Why is it that you do not trust me?"**

**"A hundred reasons!"**

"A hundred?" scoffed Sirius. "I have a couple thousand."

"Can someone have that many reasons for untrust?" asked Luna.

"Sirius can," said Remus, and he understood why Sirius would have trust issues. In fact, he was certain there would be trust issues with the two of them once they were out living on their own after the books were finished.**  
**

** she said loudly, striding out from behind the sofa to slam her glass upon the table. "Where to start! Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempt to find him when he vanished? What have you been doing all these years that you've lived in Dumbledore's pocket? Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Philosopher's Stone? Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five years?"**

"That is the question," muttered an angry Sirius.

"Sirius, I'm afraid you're not Hamlet," responded Remus with a grin.

Sirius' expression of confusion soon had everyone who knew who about _Hamlet_, Remus, little Hermione, and the time travelers, were laughing hard.

"What the heck is a Hamlet?" he finally asked once he could get a word in.

"A prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's play _Hamlet_," answered _Hermione_, who was trying not to laugh. "One of his most famous lines is 'To be or not to be - that is the question', which is why Remus responded the way he did."

**She paused, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the color high in her cheeks. Behind her, Narcissa sat motionless, her face still hidden in her hands.**

**Snape smiled.**

**"Before I answer you — oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?"**

"You should be dead," muttered Charlie.

_Harry_ groaned. At this rate everyone would hate Snape even more before he did the unexplainable, which actually was quite explainable.**  
**

**She hesitated.**

"**I know he believes you, but…"**

"**You think he is mistaken? Or that I have somehow hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?"**

_Harry_ had trouble hiding a grin at this. Snape had done what many had thought to be impossible.

"If someone can fool Dumbledore, they probably can fool Voldemort," muttered Remus under his breath.

**Bellatrix said nothing, but looked, for the first time, a little discomfited. Snape did not press the point. He picked up his drink again, sipped it, and continued, "You ask where I was when the Dark Lord fell. I was where he had ordered me to be, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because he wished me to spy upon Albus Dumbledore. You know, I presume, that it was on the Dark Lord's orders that I took up the post?"**

"WHAT?" shouted Molly.

"H-HOW?" cried a horrified Tonks.

"Albus would never -" started Arthur, but quickly stopped. They had started to learn a lot of things that Dumbledore did that they had been certain he wouldn't do.

"Once Dumbledore gets here, he'll regret he ever hired that scumbag," snarled Sirius. _Harry_ groaned, but didn't say anything this time.**  
**

**She nodded almost imperceptibly and then opened her mouth, but Snape forestalled her.**

"**You ask why I did not attempt to find him when he vanished. For the same reason that Avery, Yaxley, the Carrows, Greyback, **

Remus snarled angrily.

"What is it Uncle Moony?" asked little Harry, looking curiously up at Remus.

Remus smiled despite of himself. He loved it that little Harry was calling him uncle again since little Harry had tried to say it before when he was a baby, though it us unsuccessful at that time. "Greyback is the werewolf that bit me," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady. He didn't want to frighten any of the younger people who were reading, even though he had been bitten when he was younger than anyone, except for James.

"So naturally you'd hate him," said little Hermione simply.

"I hate him for what he did to me," said Remus quietly, "not who he is."**  
**

**Lucius"— he inclined his head slightly to Narcissa — "and many others did not attempt to find him. I believed him finished. I am not proud of it, I was wrong, but there it is… If he had not forgiven we who lost faith at that time, he would have very few followers left."**

"**He'd have me!" said Bellatrix passionately. "I, who spent many years in Azkaban for him!"**

Sirius shivered at the mention of Azkaban and little Harry hugged him tightly to try to calm him. "Thanks, pup," said Sirius as he ruffled little Harry's hair.**  
**

"**Yes, indeed, most admirable," said Snape in a bored voice. "Of I nurse, you weren't a lot of use to him in prison, but the gesture was undoubtedly fine —"**

"I really don't know who I want to win the argument," muttered Sirius. "I hate both of them."**  
**

"**Gesture!" she shrieked; in her fury she looked slightly mad. "While I endured the dementors, you remained at Hogwarts, comfortably playing Dumbledore's pet!"**

"**Not quite," said Snape calmly. "He wouldn't give me the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, you know. Seemed to think it might, ah, bring about a relapse… tempt me into my old ways."**

"Or he didn't want you to die or have something else bad happen," muttered _Harry_.

"What?" asked a very confused Bill. "Why would Dumbledore want to protect Snape? Snape's a Death Eater!"

"All of your questions will be answered eventually," answered _Harry_ tiredly. It had been a long few days and they were only going to get longer as the books were getting eviler.

"**This was your sacrifice for the Dark Lord, not to teach your favorite subject?" she jeered. "Why did you stay there all that time, Snape? Still spying on Dumbledore for a master you believed dead?"**

"**Hardly," said Snape, "although the Dark Lord is pleased that I never deserted my post: I had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he returned, a rather more useful welcome-back present than endless reminiscences of how unpleasant Azkaban is…"**

Sirius shuddered again. He never would forget the darkness, cold, the dampness . . . the list could go on for just about forever.

"Are you okay, Dad?" asked little Harry quietly and he startled Sirius out of his misery.

"I will be someday, Harry," Sirius said with a slight grin. "Thanks for asking."**  
**

"**But you stayed —"**

**"Yes, Bellatrix, I stayed," said Snape, betraying a hint of impatience for the first time. "I had a comfortable job that I preferred to a stint in Azkaban. They were rounding up the Death Eaters, you know. Dumbledore's protection kept me out of jail; it was most convenient and I used it. I repeat: The Dark Lord does not complain that I stayed, so I do not see why you do.**

"**I think you next wanted to know," he pressed on, a little more loudly, for Bellatrix showed every sign of interrupting, "why I stood between the Dark Lord and the Philosopher's Stone. That is easily answered. He did not know whether he could trust me. He thought, like you, that I had turned from faithful Death Eater to Dumbledore's stooge. He was in a pitiable condition, very weak, sharing the body of a mediocre wizard. He did not dare reveal himself to a former ally if that ally might turn him over to Dumbledore or the Ministry. I deeply regret that he did not trust me. He would have returned to power three years sooner.**

"Thank Merlin that didn't happen," said _Ron_ with a shiver.**  
**

** As it was, I saw only greedy and unworthy Quirrell attempting to steal the stone and, I admit, I did all I could to thwart him."**

_Hermione_ smirked. Snape's words could be taken too different ways. Bellatrix would believe that Snape had tried to take the Stone for Voldemort, but she knew that Snape had been trying to keep Quirell from taking the Stone for Voldemort.**  
**

**Bellatrix's mouth twisted as though she had taken an unpleasant dose of medicine.**

"**But you didn't return when he came back, you didn't fly back to him at once when you felt the Dark Mark burn —"**

"Why would a Death Eater ignore that?" wondered Bill.**  
**

"**Correct. I returned two hours later. I returned on Dumbledore's orders."**

"**On Dumbledore's —?" she began, in tones of outrage.**

"**Think!" said Snape, impatient again. "Think! By waiting two hours, just two hours, I ensured that I could remain at Hogwarts as a spy! By allowing Dumbledore to think that I was only returning to the Dark Lord's side because I was ordered to, I have been able to pass information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix ever since!**

"I knew it!" shouted Sirius. "I knew it! He delayed going to Headquarters long enough that it would get me killed!"

"Sirius, calm down!" reprimanded _Harry_. "Snape may have disliked you extremely, but he never actually wanted you dead, though it may have seemed like it at times."

Sirius huffed. "Now that I'm certain isn't true," he said.

"Just wait," sighed _Harry_. This was going to take forever.**  
**

** Consider, Bellatrix: The Dark Mark had been growing stronger for months. I knew he must be about to return, all the Death Eaters knew! I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do, to plan my next move, to escape like Karkaroff, didn't I?**

**"The Dark Lord's initial displeasure at my lateness vanished entirely, I assure you, when I explained that I remained faithful, although Dumbledore thought I was his man. Yes, the Dark Lord thought that I had left him forever, but he was wrong."**

"He's a Death Eater through and through," snarled Sirius. "Can't we go through him in Azkaban like what happened to Pettigrew?"

"Sorry, Sirius, that was an exception," said _Harry_ firmly, shuddering inwardly at what would happen if Snape ended up imprisoned.

"But why?" asked Sirius.

"You'll find out," said _Harry_. He hated giving that answer, but it was the only one. Sirius huffed yet again.**  
**

"**But what use have you been?" sneered Bellatrix. "What useful information have we had from you?"**

"**My information has been conveyed directly to the Dark Lord," said Snape. "If he chooses not to share it with you —"**

"**He shares everything with me!" said Bellatrix, firing up at once. "He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful —"**

"'E seems to say zat about nearly everyone," said Fleur. "Didn't 'e call Crouch ze same zing?"

"So, no one is top Death Eater," said Charlie.**  
**

"**Does he?" said Snape, his voice delicately inflected to suggest his disbelief. "Does he still, after the fiasco at the Ministry?"**

"**That was not my fault!" said Bellatrix, flushing. "The Dark Lord has, in the past, entrusted me with his most precious — if Lucius hadn't —"**

"**Don't you dare — don't you dare blame my husband!" said Narcissa, in a low and deadly voice, looking up at her sister.**

"**There is no point apportioning blame," said Snape smoothly. "What is done, is done."**

"**But not by you!" said Bellatrix furiously. "No, you were once again absent while the rest of us ran dangers, were you not, Snape?"**

"**My orders were to remain behind," said Snape. "Perhaps you disagree with the Dark Lord, perhaps you think that Dumbledore would not have noticed if I had joined forces with the Death Eaters to fight the Order of the Phoenix? And — forgive me — you speak of dangers… you were facing six teenagers, were you not?"**

"Six teenagers who can kick your arces!" said Sirius.

"Sirius!" admonished Molly. "There are children present!"

"Awces!"

"Who said that?" asked _Ginny_ sharply.

James was grinning from his seat on the floor. "Awces!" he cried.

"Sirius Orion Black!" shouted _Ginny_. "How many times have I warned you and Bill about language!"

Sirius just sat there. He had learned that when Lily as yelling, he should simply look like he was paying attention and nod at the right times. _Ginny's_ temper was very close to Lily's, but it probably didn't help that _Ginny_ was currently eight months pregnant.

"Sirius!" shouted _Ginny_ again. He quickly looked up. "If you say one more bad word that James repeats, I will hex off some areas that you are very fond of!"

Sirius gulped at the last comment and quickly nodded. It was hard to watch his mouth after he had spent years trying to say as many mean things about certain people as he could. Naturally, his language was quite colorful, though a bit repetitive.

_Harry_ too was looking nervously at his wife. He hated it when he was on the wrong side of her temper, but sometimes it was amusing when it was someone else, especially one of _Ginny's_ brothers. His godfather from a different time though . . . well, that was slightly different. "_Gin_, I'm certain Sirius didn't mean it," he said. "He also isn't used to little copy-cats being around." _Ginny_ glared angrily at _Harry_, but was kept from saying anything by Remus.

"You were a copy-cat as well, Harry," said Remus with a smile. "Sirius, James and I were around at the time of your first word."

"What was it?" asked little Harry. _Harry_ too looked up eagerly. This was certainly one of the best parts of coming back: hearing all of these stories.

"If I remember correctly Lily had just called your father a moron for some reason I can't recall. You heard it and the moment she had left the room you repeated it. It sounded more like 'mowon', but it was obvious what you had just said."

Both Harrys turned bright red. _Harry_, who had been looking for another story quickly decided that this wasn't one for the younger children, at least not before Hogwarts age.

Little Harry on the other hand was shocked that he had such a bad vocabulary at a young age. What would his teachers have done if they had found out that had been his first word?

"Thankfully your mum was out of the room, but James was so excited that you had said a word he ran to get her. When she was back he told you to say it again, but being the little Marauder you said 'Dada'. James looked shocked for a moment, but quickly realized you had said another word and grinned widely. The next thing out of your mouth was 'Dada mowon'"

_Harry_ started to laugh, hard. Yes, this might be his dad they were talking about, but it was the truth, or so it seemed from the stories he had heard.

"Lily looked shocked for a moment, but started laughing. You were eager to get more attention so you said 'Dada mowon' again, but this time it brought a glare from James."

"Don't children usually learn a few words at a time?" asked Molly. "And they rarely string together words for some time."

"Harry was a late talker as he was fourteen months," explained Remus, "but he had done a lot of observing."

"Didn't he say 'mama mowon' also?" asked Sirius.

"Oh, yes, you did," said Remus with an even wider grin and causing little Harry to look up in horror. "And after that it wasn't funny for Lily. Of course, the three of us laughed until Lily gave us one of her glares."

"So, what happened?" asked little Harry.

"Lily gave you a scolding, but it was only because you had called her one," said Remus, "or at least I think that's what the reason was. She probably would've told you it was wrong the next time anyway."

Little Harry's face was still bright red with embarrassment, but he had loved the story at the same time.

"You're probably one of the first kids to get their dad in trouble at that young of an age," added Remus.

"Well _Harry_, I will now have someone to blame whenever James says a bad word," said _Ginny_. _Harry_ looked horrified at the idea, but _Ginny_ was laughing at his expression. "Harry, I'm teasing," she said, "though I now have a story to tell the family."

Little Ron and little Ginny exchanged a glance, as both of them were extremely thankful that their first words hadn't been swear words.

"Don't you dare," said _Harry_, but he really wouldn't be that bothered. Probably some of the Weasley's had done worse things than calling their parents 'mowons' before the knew the meaning of the word. "Oh, Hermione, do you think you can perform that language spell again? It may have brought an interesting story up, but I still don't want James picking up any more words."

"Sure _Harry_," answered _Hermione_ as she pulled out her wand. A few moments later they were all set to continue reading.

"And back to the book," said Molly as she started to read again.**  
**

"**They were joined, as you very well know, by half of the Order before long!" snarled Bellatrix. "And, while we are on the subject of the Order, you still claim you cannot reveal the whereabouts of their headquarters, don't you?"**

"**I am not the Secret-Keeper; I cannot speak the name of the place. You understand how the enchantment works, I think? The Dark Lord is satisfied with the information I have passed him on the Order. It led, as perhaps you have guessed, to the recent capture and murder of Emmeline Vance,**

"It his fault Emmeline died?" cried Sirius. "Why can't we kill him?"

"Sirius!" cried _Harry_. "Lay off of Snape!" He was getting tired of defending Snape without giving too much away.

** and it certainly helped dispose of Sirius Black, though I give you full credit for finishing him off."**

Remus growled low in his throat. He may not have shared the same venom for Snape that Sirius did, but he did despise Snape for that statement.

"Moony, I'm still alive and kicking," said Sirius. "And I will not allow myself to get beat by Bellatrix this time around."

**"Don't make promises you might not be able to keep," said Remus quietly. "But I do hope that you're able to keep it."  
**

**He inclined his head and toasted her. Her expression did not soften.**

"**You are avoiding my last question, Snape. Harry Potter. You could have killed him at any point in the past five years. You have not done it. Why?"**

"**Have you discussed this matter with the Dark Lord?" asked Snape.**

"**He… lately, we… I am asking you, Snape!"**

"**If I had murdered Harry Potter, the Dark Lord could not have used his blood to regenerate, making him invincible —"**

Sirius growled angrily at the thought of someone so evil sharing blood with someone so pure.**  
**

"**You claim you foresaw his use of the boy!" she jeered.**

"**I do not claim it; I had no idea of his plans; I have already confessed that I thought the Dark Lord dead. I am merely trying to explain why the Dark Lord is not sorry that Potter survived, at least until a year ago…"**

"**But why did you keep him alive?"**

**"Have you not understood me? It was only Dumbledore's protection that was keeping me out of Azkaban! Do you disagree that murdering his favorite student might have turned him against me? But there was more to it than that. I should remind you that when Potter first arrived at Hogwarts there were still many stories circulating about him, rumors that he himself was a great Dark wizard, which was how he had survived the Dark Lord's attack. Indeed, many of the Dark Lords old followers thought Potter might be a standard around which we could all rally once more. I was curious, I admit it, and not at all inclined to murder him the moment he set fool in the castle."**

"It might have some to do with the fact that you're Lily's son," added Remus quietly.

"It did," said _Harry_ very quietly so only Remus and Sirius could hear, and he hoped that this bit of information would help Sirius.

"**Of course, it became apparent to me very quickly that he had no extraordinary talent at all. He has fought his way out of a number of tight corners by a simple combination of sheer luck and more talented friends. **

**He is mediocre to the last degree,**

"He is not!" cried Sirius.**  
**

** though as obnoxious and self-satisfied as was his father before him.**

"Again, not true," added Remus firmly.**  
**

** I have done my utmost to have him thrown out of Hogwarts, where I believe he scarcely belongs,**

"He has more of a right to be there than you do," growled Sirius.

Little Harry was blushing under all of the defense he was getting. No one had ever defended him before.

** but kill him, or allow him to be killed in front of me? I would have been a fool to risk it with Dumbledore close at hand."**

"**And through all this we are supposed to believe Dumbledore has never suspected you?" asked Bellatrix. "He has no idea of your true allegiance, he trusts you implicitly still?"**

"Why can't Dumbledore be here for this chapter?" asked Sirius. "It would show him who Snape truly is."

"I don't know why Dumbledore didn't come this morning," sighed _Harry_. "He is running a school, so that clearly takes some time."

"Yeah, but he should be here so he can throw Snape into Azkaban," Sirius said agian.

"Sirius, stop it," said _Harry_ firmly. "Snape cannot go to Azkaban. You'll see why eventually."

"But -" started Sirius.

"Sirius, I hate to say this, but if you can't calm down, I'll have to silence you," _Harry_ said firmly. "There is a reason why we can't simply throw Snape into Azkaban and you will find out this reason later on."

Sirius huffed, but he sat back on the sofa. Little Harry looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything.**  
**

"**I have played my part well," said Snape. "And you overlook Dumbledore's greatest weakness: He has to believe the best of people.**

"It's always good to be willing to give a second chance," said _Hermione_. "Many good things have happened becuase someone was given a second chance.

** I spun him a tale of deepest remorse when I joined his staff, fresh from my Death Eater days, and he embraced me with open arms — though, as I say, never allowing me nearer the Dark Arts than he could help. Dumbledore has been a great wizard — oh yes, he has," (for Bellatrix had made a scathing noise), "the Dark Lord acknowledges it. I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old. The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him. He has since sustained a serious injury because his reactions are slower than they once were.**

"But not a dueling injury," muttered _Harry_.

"How did Dumbledore get an injury without dueling?" asked Arthur worriedly.

"There are many ways to get injured in the wizarding world and many of them are unexpected," _Harry_ responded.

"And you've gotten yourself injured in most of the ways," added _Ginny_. "St. Mungo's has a plaque with his name on it over one of the bed's resereved for the Aurors. I swear _Harry's_ ended up there at least twice a year since he became an Auror."

"I'm not that bad," muttered _Harry_, but his red ears gave it away.**  
**

** But through all these years, he has never stopped trusting Severus Snape, and therein lies my great value to the Dark Lord."**

**Bellatrix still looked unhappy, though she appeared unsure how best to attack Snape next. Taking advantage of her silence, Snape turned to her sister.**

"**Now… you came to ask me for help, Narcissa?"**

**Narcissa looked up at him, her face eloquent with despair.**

"**Yes, Severus. I — I think you are the only one who can help me, I have nowhere else to turn. Lucius is in jail and…"**

**She closed her eyes and two large tears seeped from beneath her eyelids.**

"**The Dark Lord has forbidden me to speak of it," Narcissa continued, her eyes still closed. "He wishes none to know of the plan. It is… very secret. But —"**

"**If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak," said Snape at once. "The Dark Lord's word is law."**

**Narcissa gasped as though he had doused her with cold water. Bellatrix looked satisfied for the first time since she had entered the house.**

"**There!" she said triumphantly to her sister. "Even Snape says so: You were told not to talk, so hold your silence!"**

"For some reason I doubt she'll keep it secret," muttered Arthur. "There has to be a reason this chapter is in the book."

**But Snape had gotten to his feet and strode to the small window, peered through the curtains at the deserted street, then closed them again with a jerk. He turned around to face Narcissa, frowning.**

"**It so happens that I know of the plan," he said in a low voice.**

Sirius started to mumble something, but only a quiet beep came out.**  
**

**"I am one of the few the Dark Lord has told. Nevertheless, had I not been in on the secret, Narcissa, you would have been guilty of great treachery to the Dark Lord."**

"**I thought you must know about it!" said Narcissa, breathing more freely. "He trusts you so, Severus…"**

"**You know about the plan?" said Bellatrix, her fleeting expression of satisfaction replaced by a look of outrage. "You know?"**

"At least she isn't getting her way," growled Sirius.**  
**

"**Certainly," said Snape. "But what help do you require, Narcissa? If you are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I am afraid there is no hope, none at all."**

"**Severus," she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. "My son… my only son…"**

"**Draco should be proud," said Bellatrix indifferently. "The Dark Lord is granting him a great honor. And I will say this for Draco: I can see he isn't shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect —"**

"What prospect?" asked Molly. Draco may be a Slytherin and a Death Eater's child, but he was still a child.**  
**

**Narcissa began to cry in earnest, gazing beseechingly all the while at Snape.**

"**That's because he is sixteen and has no idea what lies in store! Why, Severus? Why my son? It is too dangerous! This is vengeance for Lucius's mistake, I know it!"**

**Snape said nothing. He looked away from the sight of her tears as though they were indecent, but he could not pretend not to hear her.**

"**That's why he's chosen Draco, isn't it?" she persisted. "To punish Lucius?"**

"Wait, is Draco a Death Eater?" asked Charlie in horror. "He's just sixteen at this time, right?"

"Why would a sixteen-year old be a Death Eater?" asked Bill.

"Lucius did get himself thrown in Azkaban," Remus pointed out. "It looks like Draco might be replacing Lucius."

"I never thought I'd feel sorry for him, but I sort of do," said Tonks quietly. "No one Draco's age should be a Death Eater, especially if they're forced into it, which it sounds like what happened."

"**If Draco succeeds," said Snape, still looking away from her, "he will be honored above all others."**

"What's Draco supposed to do?" asked Tonks.

"Again, this will be explained throughout the book," said _Harry_.

"'Ow many times are you going to say zat?" wondered Fleur.

"He'll say it as often as it's true," said _Ron_ with a grin.

"Is it very true?" asked little Ginny.

"Quite," _Hermione_ answered.**  
**

"**But he won't succeed!" sobbed Narcissa. "How can he, when the Dark Lord himself —?"**

"So once again V-V-Voldemort is hiring someone else to do the dirty work," muttered Percy angrily.**  
**

**Bellatrix gasped; Narcissa seemed to lose her nerve.**

"**I only meant… that nobody has yet succeeded… Severus… please… You are, you have always been, Draco's favorite teacher… You are Lucius's old friend… I beg you… You are the Dark Lord's favorite, his most trusted advisor… Will you speak to him, persuade him —?"**

"**The Dark Lord will not be persuaded, and I am not stupid enough to attempt it," said Snape flatly. "I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry with Lucius. Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He got himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve the prophecy into the bargain. Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa, very angry indeed."**

"**Then I am right, he has chosen Draco in revenge!" choked Narcissa. "He does not mean him to succeed, he wants him to be killed trying!"**

"Killed trying what?" asked Fred.

"Whatever task Voldemort has given him," Bill answered.**  
**

**When Snape said nothing, Narcissa seemed to lose what little self-restraint she still possessed. Standing up, she staggered to Snape and seized the front of his robes. Her face close to his, her tears falling onto his chest, she gasped, "You could do it. You could do it instead of Draco, Severus. You would succeed, of course you would, and he would reward you beyond all of us -"**

**Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands. Looking down into her tearstained face, he said slowly, "He intends me to do it in the end, I think. But he is determined that Draco should try first. You see, in the unlikely event that Draco succeeds, I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts a little longer, fulfilling my useful role as spy."**

"**In other words, it doesn't matter to him if Draco is killed!"**

"It doesn't matter to Voldemort who is killed as long as he overtakes the world," growled Remus.**  
**

"**The Dark Lord is very angry," repeated Snape quietly. "He failed to hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does not forgive easily."**

"Does he even know what forgiveness is?" asked Tonks in disbelief.

"I doubt it," muttered _Ginny_.**  
**

**She crumpled, falling at his feet, sobbing and moaning on the floor.**

"**My only son… my only son…"**

"**You should be proud!" said Bellatrix ruthlessly. "If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!"**

"Thank heavens she isn't a mother," shuddered Sirius.

"I think that's something we all agree on," said _Hermione_.**  
**

**Narcissa gave a little scream of despair and clutched at her long blonde hair. Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up, and steered her back onto the sofa. He then poured her more wine and forced the glass into her hand.**

"**Narcissa, that's enough. Drink this. Listen to me."**

**She quieted a little; slopping wine down herself, she took a shaky sip.**

"**It might be possible… for me to help Draco."**

**She sat up, her face paper-white, her eyes huge.**

"**Severus — oh, Severus — you would help him? Would you look after him, see he comes to no harm?"**

"**I can try."**

**She flung away her glass; it skidded across the table as she slid off the sofa into a kneeling position at Snape's feet, seized his hand in both of hers, and pressed her lips to it.**

"**If you are there to protect him… Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?"**

"The Unbreakable Vow?" gasped Tonks. "Crikey, what is going to happen?"

"What's the Unbreakable Vow?" asked little Harry and little Hermione.

"It's a vow you can't break!" said little Ron.

"I figured that much out myself," said little Hermione. "What's so important about it that you can't break?"

"If you break it you die!" said little Ron dramatically.

"Sorry, Ron," muttered Fred and George together.

"What was that about?" asked Tonks.

"About a year and a half ago the twins tried to have Ron make the Unbreakable Vow," said Arthur. "I have no idea what it was about, but thankfully I was able to stop them and grab their mother's wand before they did anything."

Tonks groaned and shook her head. She was extremely thankful there weren't twins in her family. Siblings would've been fun, but probably a little bit traumatizing.

"**The Unbreakable Vow?"**

**Snape's expression was blank, unreadable. Bellatrix, however, let out a cackle of triumphant laughter.**

"**Aren't you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he'll try, I'm sure… The usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action… oh, on the Dark Lord's orders, of course!"**

**Snape did not look at Bellatrix. His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa's tear-filled blue ones as she continued to clutch his hand.**

"**Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow," he said quietly. "Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder."**

**Bellatrix's mouth fell open. Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa. Beneath Bellatrix's astonished gaze, they grasped right hands.**

"**You will need your wand, Bellatrix," said Snape coldly.**

**She drew it, still looking astonished.**

"Not very many people can surprise her," said Sirius, "and I don't know whether to like or to hate the fact that Snape can do that."**  
**

"**And you will need to move a little closer," he said.**

**She stepped forward so that she stood over them, and placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands.**

**Narcissa spoke.**

"**Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"**

"**I will," said Snape.**

**A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.**

"**And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?"**

"**I will," said Snape.**

**A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain.**

"**And, should it prove necessary… if it seems Draco will fail…" whispered Narcissa (Snape's hand twitched within hers, but he did not draw away), "will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"**

**There was a moment's silence. Bellatrix watched, her wand upon their clasped hands, her eyes wide.**

"**I will," said Snape.**

"What would happen if you said 'no' to one of the things in an Unbreakable Vow?" asked George.

"I would suppose that either the Vow could not be performed or it would work in the opposite way meaning one would die if they did what the Unbreakable Vow said," said Arthur. "My guess is that more likely the latter."**  
**

**Bellatrix's astounded face glowed red in the blaze of a third unique flame, which shot from the wand, twisted with the others, and bound itself thickly around their clasped hands, like a fiery snake.**

"That's it," said Molly softly.

"I'll read next," said Fleur and she took the book.**  
**

* * *

_**A/N Sorry I forgot to reply to reviews for the first chapter. I needed to leave for piano lessons, but wanted to get the chapter posted. Here's the reviews for those who have PMs turned off as well as the anonymous reviews from last chapter and for this chapter.**_

_**Lily1992: Thanks for the review.  
**_

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: ****Thanks for the review. Probably something will happen to the book, considering what happened to the OOTP book.**  
_

**_Annabella Prinx: _****Thanks for the review.**

**_Angele Fall: Thanks for the review._**

_**Furionknight: Thanks for the smile.**_

**_RemySevvyFan: _****Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you think I can make a boring chapter interesting. I just might have something happen to Fudge.**

**_XanadZyinr: Thanks for the review. Thanks for the idea, but I highly doubt I'd do that. For one, it sounds like that story already exists and another I'm not a huge fan of twin or sibling Harry stories._  
**


	4. Will and Won't

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I don't think I can get it much better. Sorry it's taken so long to get this up, but I've been busy. My sister was out for a few days after Christmas and I've been getting ready for school, which started again today.**_

_**I have one more application to finish, which is for the honors program at one of the colleges I've applied to, but then I'll be finished with those. Also, I submitted my final paper early for extra credit, so I only have to worry about one final for the end of the semester. My Spanish class will be starting next week, so that will probably take some of my time, but I hope to have the next chapter out sooner than this one was.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's.**_

Fleur turned the page and started to read.**  
**

**Will and Won't**

"What does that mean?" asked Fred.

"Most likely someone will do something and won't do something else," replied Charlie.

"Or it might be a will," said Percy.

"What's a will?" asked little Ginny.

"It's something someone writes and it tells where money and everything else goes when the writer dies," Arthur explained as simply as he could.**  
**

**Harry Potter was snoring loudly. **

"What, he doesn't snore quietly?" asked George.**  
**

**He had been sitting in a chair beside his bedroom window for the best part of four hours, staring out at the darkening street, and had finally fallen asleep with one side of his face pressed against the cold windowpane, his glasses askew and his mouth wide open. The misty fog his breath had left on the window sparkled in the orange glare of the streetlamp outside, and the artificial light drained his face of all color, so that he looked ghostly beneath his shock of untidy black hair.**

**The room was strewn with various possessions and a good smattering of rubbish. Owl feathers, apple cores, and sweet wrappers littered the floor, a number of spellbooks lay higgledy-piggledy among the tangled robes on his bed, and a mess of newspapers sat in a puddle of light on his desk.**

**The headline of one blared:**

**HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?**

"Chosen one?" asked Bill barely above a whisper.

"What's that mean?" asked little Ginny.

"That _Harry_ is the one who was always meant to fight and defeat Voldemort," _Hermione_ explained.**  
**

**Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.**

**"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything" said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.**

**Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.**

**Though Ministry spokeswizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.**

"They got that much right," Molly said slowly.**  
**

**The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although {ctd. page2, column 5)**

**A second newspaper lay beside the first. This one bore the headline:**

**SCRIMGEOUR SUCCEEDS FUDGE**

"At least Scrimegour is a man of action," muttered Sirius, "but he's not much of a politician."**  
**

**Most of this front page was taken up with a large black-and-white picture of a man with a lionlike mane of thick hair and a rather ravaged face. The picture was moving — the man was waving at the ceiling.**

**Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.**

**Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dumbledore is known to (ctd. page 3, column 2)**

**To the left of this paper sat another, which had been folded so that a story bearing the title ministry guarantees students' safety was visible.**

"I highly doubt they'll be able to do that," said Remus rather sadly.

_Ginny_ shook her head slowly. "They weren't, at least to the degree that they should've."**  
**

**Newly appointed Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, spoke today of the tough new measures taken by his Ministry to ensure the safety of students returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this autumn.**

"**For obvious reasons, the Ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new security plans," said the Minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include defensive spells and charms, a complex array of countercurses, and a small task force of Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School.**

**Most seem reassured by the new Minister's tough stand on student safety. Said Mrs. Augusta Longbottom, "My grandson, Neville — a good friend of Harry Potter's, incidentally, who fought the Death Eaters alongside him at the Ministry in June and —**

"Gran's proud!" cried Neville excitedly. "She's proud!"**  
**

**But the rest of this story was obscured by the large birdcage, **

**standing on top of it. Inside it was a magnificent snowy owl. Her amber eyes surveyed the room imperiously, her head swiveling occasionally to gaze at her snoring master. Once or twice she clicked her beak impatiently, but Harry was too deeply asleep to hear her.**

**A large trunk stood in the very middle of the room. Its lid was open; it looked expectant; yet it was almost empty but for a residue of old underwear, sweets, empty ink bottles, and broken quills that coated the very bottom. Nearby, on the floor, lay a purple leaflet emblazoned with the words:**

— — **ISSUED ON BEHALF OF — —**

**The Ministry of Magic**

**PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES**

**The Wizarding community is currently under threat from an organization calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family, and your home from attack.**

**1. You are advised not to leave the house alone.**

"That one's obvious," muttered Bill.**  
**

**2. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.**

"Again, most any idiot would do that," added Charlie.**  
**

**3. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms, and, in the case of underage family members, Side-Along-Apparition.**

"People should know how to do that to begin with," said Sirius.**  
**

**4. Agree on security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion (see page 2).**

"That is a good idea," admitted Remus.**  
**

**5. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse (see page 4).**

**6. Should the Dark Mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately.**

"Pure logic," muttered Sirius.

"Sirius, hardly anyone younger than sixteen or seventeen knows what the Dark Mark is," said Arthur. "Probably parents will tell their children what the Dark Mark is, but they don't know what it means for the most part."**  
**

**7. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi **

"What are Inferi?" asked little Hermione.

Those who knew what Inferi were shuddered.

"They're dead bodies that can fight," said _Harry_ at last. "Sort of like zombies."

Everyone who didn't already know what Inferi shuddered as well, even though some of them didn't know exactly what zombies were. They all knew it was horrible though.

**(see page 10). Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY.**

"All of those are simple logic," said Remus. "Why do they have to teach people?"

"There had been peace for nearly fourteen years," said _Ginny_. "Nearly everyone at Hogwarts didn't remember the war and those who did tried to forget."**  
**

**Harry grunted in his sleep and his face slid down the window an inch or so, making his glasses still more lopsided, but he did not wake up. An alarm clock, repaired by Harry several years ago, ticked loudly on the sill, showing one minute to eleven. Beside it, held in place by Harry's relaxed hand, was a piece of parchment covered in thin, slanting writing. Harry had read this letter so often since its arrival three days ago that although it had been delivered in a tightly furled scroll, it now lay quite flat.**

**Dear Harry,**

**If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive this coming Friday at eleven p.m. to escort you to the Burrow,**

"Yay! You're coming!" shouted little Ron excitedly. He really was enjoying hearing about what the Burrow would be like in the future, minus Percy's leaving that is.

** where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays.**

**If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to the Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you.**

**Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday.**

**I am yours most sincerely,**

**Albus Dumbledore**

"Dumbledore's coming to get you?" asked Sirius in surprise.

"Please tell me he sees what it's like and never sends you back," begged Remus. If Dumbledore did that, he just might be able to forgive the man sooner.

_Harry_ sadly shook his head. "If he did see anything, he didn't do anything about it," he said. "I also only had one more summer with them."

"It doesn't matter," Remus said angrily. "You shouldn't have gone there in the first place."

"Remus, it's too late to change it," said _Harry_ calmly. "I survived, that is true, and little Harry here has a chance to grow up with you two and get to know you in ways I can only dream."

Remus nodded slowly. He understood what _Harry_ meant and also he was certain that something happened to him as well. Harry's statement had proved that, as vague as he had tried to be.

**Though he already knew it by heart, Harry had been stealing glances at this missive every few minutes since seven o'clock that evening, when he had first taken up his position beside his bedroom window, which had a reasonable view of both ends of Privet Drive. **

**He knew it was pointless to keep rereading Dumbledore's words; Harry had sent back his "yes" with the delivering owl, as requested, and all he could do now was wait: Either Dumbledore was going to come, or he was not.**

"Albus keeps his promises," said Arthur, "even though he does make mistakes."**  
**

**But Harry had not packed. It just seemed too good to be true that he was going to be rescued from the Dursleys after a mere fortnight of their company. He could not shrug off the feeling that something was going to go wrong — his reply to Dumbledore's letter might have gone astray; Dumbledore could be prevented from collecting him; the letter might turn out not to be from Dumbledore at all, but a trick or joke or trap. Harry had not been able to face packing and then being let down and having to unpack again. The only gesture he had made to the possibility of a journey was to shut his snowy owl, Hedwig, safely in her cage.**

**The minute hand on the alarm clock reached the number twelve and, at that precise moment, the street-lamp outside the window went out.**

"He is punctual," admitted Sirius.

**Harry awoke as though the sudden darkness were an alarm. Hastily straightening his glasses and unsticking his cheek from the glass, he pressed his nose against the window instead and squinted down at the pavement. A tall figure in a long, billowing cloak was walking up the garden path.**

**Harry jumped up as though he had received an electric shock, knocked over his chair, and started snatching anything and everything within reach from the floor and throwing it into the trunk. Then as he lobbed a set of robes, two spellbooks, and a packet of clasps across the room, the doorbell rang. Downstairs in the living room his Uncle Vernon shouted, "Who the blazes is calling at this lime of night?"**

"Dumbledore," said Fred simply.

**Harry froze with a brass telescope in one hand and a pair of trainers in the other. He had completely forgotten to warn the Dursleys that Dumbledore might be coming.**

"Let them get the *beep* scared out of them," said Sirius.

James giggled at the beeping sound when it came out of Sirius' mouth. "Silly noise," he said, his mouth split in a wide grin.**  
**

**Feeling both panicky and close to laughter, he clambered over the trunk and wrenched open his bedroom door in time to hear a deep voice say, "Good evening. You must be Mr. Dursley. I daresay Harry has told you I would be coming for him?"**

**Harry ran down the stairs two at a time, coming to an abrupt halt several steps from the bottom, as long experience had taught him to remain out of arm's reach of his uncle whenever possible. There in the doorway stood a tall, thin man with waist-length silver hair and beard. Half-moon spectacles were perched on his crooked nose, and he was wearing a long black traveling cloak and a pointed hat. Vernon Dursley, whose mustache was quite as bushy as Dumbledore's, though black, and who was wearing a puce dressing gown, was staring at the visitor as though he could not believe his tiny eyes.**

"**Judging by your look of stunned disbelief, Harry did not warn you that I was coming," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house. It is unwise to linger overlong on doorsteps in these troubled times."**

There were several snorts at Dumbledore's comment. Even Sirius and Remus, who were more than livid at the man, could barely suppress their amusement at his choice of words.**  
**

**He stepped smartly over the threshold and closed the front door behind him.**

"**It is a long time since my last visit," said Dumbledore, peering down his crooked nose at Uncle Vernon. "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."**

**Vernon Dursley said nothing at all. Harry did not doubt that speech would return to him, and soon — the vein pulsing in his uncles temple was reaching danger point — but something about Dumbledore seemed to have robbed him temporarily of breath. It might have been the blatant wizardishness of his appearance, but it might, too, have been that even Uncle Vernon could sense that here was a man whom it would be very difficult to bully.**

"Don't ever get on Dumbledore's wrong side," advised _Harry_. "I've seen what happens when someone does, though it mainly was Voldemort."**  
**

"**Ah, good evening Harry," said Dumbledore, looking up at him through his half-moon glasses with a most satisfied expression. "Excellent, excellent."**

**These words seemed to rouse Uncle Vernon. It was clear that as far as he was concerned, any man who could look at Harry and say "excellent" was a man with whom he could never see eye to eye.**

"So that would be the majority of the world," said Tonks as she grinned.**  
**

"**I don't mean to be rude —" he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.**

"— **yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often," Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. "Best to say nothing at all, my dear man. Ah, and this must be Petunia."**

**The kitchen door had opened, and there stood Harry's aunt, wearing rubber gloves and a housecoat over her nightdress, clearly halfway through her usual pre-bedtime wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces. **

"She cleans the house at eleven at night?" asked Molly in shock.

"At least she's not making me do it anymore," muttered little Harry under his breath, but Remus and Sirius heard him. The two exchanged a quick glance of horror. What else had happened at the Dursleys that wasn't being revealed in the books? Both of them would have to have a talk with little Harry, and probably _Harry_, once the books were finished.**  
**

**Her rather horsey face registered nothing but shock.**

"**Albus Dumbledore," said Dumbledore, when Uncle Vernon failed to effect an introduction. "We have corresponded, of course." Harry thought this an odd way of reminding Aunt Petunia that he had once sent her an exploding letter, but Aunt Petunia did not challenge the term. **

"Have they ever done more correspondence?" asked Remus, knowing there had to have been a letter from Petunia a long time ago.

"Yes, but you'll find out later," _Harry_ told him.

Remus groaned. He hated that sentence.**  
**

"**And this must be your son, Dudley?"**

**Dudley had that moment peered round the living room door, his large, blond head rising out of the stripy collar of his pajamas looked oddly disembodied, his mouth gaping in astonishment and fear. Dumbledore waited a moment or two, apparently to see whether any of the Dursleys were going to say anything, but as the silence stretched on he smiled.**

"**Shall we assume that you have invited me into your sitting room?"**

Again, there were snorts of amusement.**  
**

**Dudley scrambled out of the way as Dumbledore passed him. Harry, still clutching the telescope and trainers, jumped the last few stairs and followed Dumbledore, who had settled himself in the armchair nearest the fire and was taking in the surroundings with an expression of benign interest. He looked quite extraordinarily out of place.**

"**Aren't — aren't we leaving, sir?" Harry asked anxiously.**

"**Yes, indeed we are, but there are a few matters we need to discuss first," said Dumbledore. "And I would prefer not to do so in the open. We shall trespass upon your aunt and uncle's hospitality only a little longer."**

"Good, I want to get away from them for this book," growled Sirius, "and I want you to get away from the permanently."**  
**

"**You will, will you?"**

**Vernon Dursley had entered the room, Petunia at his shoulder, and Dudley skulking behind them both.**

"Was he visible?" asked George.

"Not as visible as he would've been the previous year, but some of him did stick out," said _Harry_.**  
**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore simply, "I shall."**

**He drew his wand so rapidly that Harry barely saw it; with a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forward and knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap. Another flick of the wand and the sofa zoomed back to its original position.**

"**We may as well be comfortable," said Dumbledore pleasantly.**

**As he replaced his wand in his pocket, Harry saw that his hand was blackened and shriveled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away.**

"What happened?" asked Arthur in horror. Whatever could injure Dumbledore had to be powerful indeed.

"All will be revealed," _Harry_ said quietly. He did not want to go into detail about how Horcruxes worked.**  
**

"**Sir — what happened to your —?"**

"**Later, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Please sit down."**

**Harry took the remaining armchair, choosing not to look at the Dursleys, who seemed stunned into silence.**

"**I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment," Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, "but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness."**

**A third twitch of the wand, and a dusty bottle and five glasses appeared in midair. The bottle tipped and poured a generous measure of honey-colored liquid into each of the glasses, which then floated to each person in the room.**

"**Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead," said Dumbledore, raising his glass to Harry, who caught hold of his own and sipped. He had never tasted anything like it before, but enjoyed it immensely. The Dursleys, after quick, scared looks at one another, tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat, as they were nudging them gently on the sides of their heads. **

Several snorts of laughter echoed around the room.**  
**

**Harry could not suppress a suspicion that Dumbledore was rather enjoying himself.**

"**Well, Harry," said Dumbledore, turning toward him, "a difficulty has arisen which I hope you will be able to solve for us. By us, I mean the Order of the Phoenix. But first of all I must tell you that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago and that he left you everything he owned."**

"You're the one I live for," said Sirius quietly. "That they only reason I was able to make it as long as I did in Azkaban."**  
**

**Over on the sofa, Uncle Vernon's head turned, but Harry did not look at him, nor could he think of anything to say except, "Oh. Right."**

"**This is, in the main, fairly straightforward," Dumbledore went on. "You add a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts, and you inherit all of Sirius's personal possessions. The slightly problematic part of the legacy —"**

"**His godfather's dead?"**

Sirius winced at the bluntness in which his death was mentioned.**  
**

**said Uncle Vernon loudly from the sofa. Dumbledore and Harry both turned to look at him. The glass of mead was now knocking quite insistently on the side of Vernons head; he attempted to beat it away. "He's dead? His godfather?"**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. He did not ask Harry why he had not confided in the Dursleys. "Our problem," he continued to Harry, as if there had been no interruption, "is that Sirius also left you number twelve, Grimmauld Place."**

"Sorry you got stuck with it," apologized Sirius.

"Sirius, it turned out to be a very good thing you left me the house," said Harry. "I'll try to explain later." It had helped them during his seventh year and after the war they had turned it into an orphanage mainly for children who had lost their guardians in the war, but any wizarding orphan was welcome. It was also for muggle-born children who were orphans or had gotten kicked out of their homes.

"That house can't ever be a good thing," began Sirius, "but if you say so . . ."

**"He's been left a house?" said Uncle Vernon greedily, his small eyes narrowing, but nobody answered him.**

"**You can keep using it as headquarters," said Harry. "I don't care. You can have it, I don't really want it." Harry never wanted to set foot in number twelve, Grimmauld Place again if he could help it. He thought he would be haunted forever by the memory of Sirius prowling its dark musty rooms alone, imprisoned within the place he had wanted so desperately to leave.**

"**That is generous," said Dumbledore. "We have, however, vacated the building temporarily."**

"**Why?"**

"**Well," said Dumbledore, ignoring the mutterings of Uncle Vernon, who was now being rapped smartly over the head by the persistent glass of mead,**

"I'd like to see that," grinned _Ron_.**  
**

"**Black family tradition decreed that the house was handed down the direct line, to the next male with the name of 'Black.' Sirius was the very last of the line as his younger brother, Regulus, predeceased him and both were childless. While his will makes it perfectly plain that he wants you to have the house, it is nevertheless possible that some spell or enchantment has been set upon the place to ensure that it cannot be owned by anyone other than a pureblood."**

"Last I heard these wasn't a spell on the house," said Sirius.**  
**

**A vivid image of the shrieking, spitting portrait of Sirius's mother that hung in the hall of number twelve, Grimmauld Place flashed into Harry's mind. "I bet there has," he said.**

**Without realizing what he was doing, Harry sprang to his feet; the telescope and trainers in his lap rolled across the floor. Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's killer, inherit his house?**

"Over my dead body," growled Sirius.

"Don't joke about that!" said Remus. "It would happen when you're dead."

"I'm only trying to lighten the mood," said Sirius.

"**No," he said.**

"**Well, obviously we would prefer that she didn't get it either," said Dumbledore calmly. "The situation is fraught with complications. We do not know whether the enchantments we ourselves have placed upon it, for example, making it Unplottable, will hold now that ownership has passed from Sirius's hands. It might be that Bellatrix will arrive on the doorstep at any moment. Naturally we had to move out until such time as we have clarified the position."**

"**But how are you going to find out if I'm allowed to own it?"**

"**Fortunately," said Dumbledore, "there is a simple test."**

**He placed his empty glass on a small table beside his chair, but before he could do anything else, Uncle Vernon shouted, "Will you get these ruddy things off us?"**

**Harry looked around; all three of the Dursleys were cowering with their arms over their heads as their glasses bounced up and down on their skulls, their contents flying everywhere.**

Yet again there were several snorts that were mostly from the younger crowd.**  
**

"**Oh, I'm so sorry," said Dumbledore politely, and he raised his wand again. All three glasses vanished. "But it would have been better manners to drink it, you know."**

**It looked as though Uncle Vernon was bursting with any number of unpleasant retorts, but he merely shrank back into the cushions with Aunt Petunia and Dudley and said nothing, keeping his small piggy eyes on Dumbledore's wand.**

"**You see," Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry and again speaking as though Uncle Vernon had not uttered, "if you have indeed inherited the house, you have also inherited —"**

**He flicked his wand for a fifth time. There was a loud crack, and a house-elf appeared, **

"Kreacher," muttered Sirius. "Again, sorry you got stuck with him."**  
**

**with a snout for a nose, giant bat's ears, and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys' shag carpet and covered in grimy rags. Aunt Petunia let out a hair-raising shriek; nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory. Dudley drew his large, bare, pink feet off the floor and sat with them raised almost above his head, as though he thought the creature might run up his pajama trousers, **

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" chanted the twins. They fell silent by a glare from their mother.**  
**

**and Uncle Vernon bellowed, "What the hell is that?"**

"**Kreacher," finished Dumbledore.**

**"Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't!" croaked the house-elf, quite as loudly as Uncle Vernon, stamping his long, gnarled feet and pulling his ears. "Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh yes, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress, Kreacher won't go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won't, won't, won't —"**

"I guess that's the 'won't'." said Charlie with a smirk.**  
**

"**As you can see, Harry," said Dumbledore loudly, over Kreacher's continued croaks of "wont, won't, won't," "Kreacher is showing a certain reluctance to pass into your ownership."**

"**I don't care," said Harry again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house-elf. "I don't want him."**

"**Won't, won't, won't, won't —"**

"Zat is so annoying," commented Fleur. "A 'ouse-elf like zat wouldn't be allowed in my family."

"The Black's usually have things that aren't allowed in other families," said Sirius.**  
**

"**You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange? Bearing in mind that he has lived at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the past year?"**

"**Won't, won't, won't, won't —"**

**Harry stared at Dumbledore. He knew that Kreacher could not be permitted to go and live with Bellatrix Lestrange, but the idea of owning him, of having responsibility for the creature that had betrayed Sirius, was repugnant.**

"**Give him an order," said Dumbledore. "If he has passed into your ownership, he will have to obey. If not, then we shall have to think of some other means of keeping him from his rightful mistress."**

"The only way would be by killing him," growled Sirius.**  
**

"**Won't, won't, won't, WON'T!"**

**Kreacher's voice had risen to a scream. Harry could think of nothing to say, except,** "**Kreacher, shut up!"**

**It looked for a moment as though Kreacher was going to choke. He grabbed his throat, his mouth still working furiously, his eyes bulging. After a few seconds of frantic gulping, he threw himself face forward onto the carpet (Aunt Petunia whimpered) and beat the floor with his hands and feet, giving himself over to a violent, but entirely silent, tantrum.**

"I guess you're his master if you could command him to do something," said Sirius. "Just tell him to kill himself."

"SIRIUS!" shouted a horrified _Hermione_. "Don't say things like that!"

"Kreacher always has been and always will be a nusience," said Sirius. "He's better off dead."

"Dad!" said little Harry. "He betrayed you, but you shouldn't kill."

Sirius looked at his godson in shock. Little Harry truly was his father's son, but that statement was too grown-up for seven-year-old to say. What had happened at the Dursleys?**  
**

"**Well, that simplifies matters," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "It means that Sirius knew what he was doing. You are the rightful owner of number twelve, Grimmauld Place and of Kreacher."**

"**Do I — do I have to keep him with me?" Harry asked, aghast, us Kreacher thrashed around at his feet.**

"**Not if you don't want to," said Dumbledore. "If I might make a suggestion, you could send him to Hogwarts to work in the kitchen there. In that way, the other house-elves could keep an eye on him."**

"**Yeah," said Harry in relief, "yeah, I'll do that. Er — Kreacher — I want you to go to Hogwarts and work in the kitchens there with the other house-elves."**

**Kreacher, who was now lying flat on his back with his arms and legs in the air, gave Harry one upside-down look of deepest loathing and, with another loud crack, vanished.**

"**Good," said Dumbledore. "There is also the matter of the hippogriff, Buckbeak. Hagrid has been looking after him since Sirius died, but Buckbeak is yours now, so if you would prefer to make different arrangements —"**

"**No," said Harry at once, "he can stay with Hagrid. I think Buckbeak would prefer that."**

"**Hagrid will be delighted," said Dumbledore, smiling. "He was thrilled to see Buckbeak again. Incidentally, we have decided, in the interests of Buckbeak's safety, to rechristen him 'Witherwings' for the time being, though I doubt that the Ministry would ever guess he is the hippogriff they once sentenced to death. **

"They're mostly such dense idiots that they wouldn't even notice," said _Ron_.**  
**

**Now, Harry, is your trunk packed?"**

**"Erm…"**

"**Doubtful that I would turn up?" Dumbledore suggested shrewdly.**

"**I'll just go and — er — finish off," said Harry hastily, hurrying to pick up his fallen telescope and trainers.**

**It took him a little over ten minutes to track down everything he needed; at last he had managed to extract his Invisibility Cloak from under the bed, screwed the top back on his jar of color-change ink, and forced the lid of his trunk shut on his cauldron. Then, heaving his trunk in one hand and holding Hedwig's cage in the other, he made his way back downstairs.**

**He was disappointed to discover that Dumbledore was not waiting in the hall, which meant that he had to return to the living room.**

"So the Dursleys aren't gone yet," muttered Sirius.**  
**

**Nobody was talking. Dumbledore was humming quietly, apparently quite at his ease, but the atmosphere was thicker than cold custard, and Harry did not dare look at the Dursleys as he said, "Professor — I'm ready now."**

"**Good," said Dumbledore. "Just one last thing, then." And he turned to speak to the Dursleys once more.**

"**As you will no doubt be aware, Harry comes of age in a years time —"**

**"No," said Aunt Petunia, speaking for the first time since Dumbledore's arrival.**

"**I'm sorry?" said Dumbledore politely.**

"**No, he doesn't. He's a month younger than Dudley, and Dudders**

"She's still calling him 'Dudders' at sixteen?" asked Bill.

"She seemed to think it would keep him young," said _Harry_ in defense. "Naturally it didn't work. Made him look even more like an idiot."**  
**

** doesn't turn eighteen until the year after next."**

"You don't come of age until eighteen in the Muggle world?" asked Bill in surprise.

"Yes," answered _Hermione_. "And you can't buy alcohol until twenty-one and can't rent a car until twenty-five."

"Wow. Muggle's are strict," said Charlie.**  
**

"**Ah," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but in the Wizarding world, we come of age at seventeen."**

**Uncle Vernon muttered, "Preposterous," but Dumbledore ignored him,**

"Nothing unusual there," said Tonks.**  
**

"**Now, as you already know, the wizard called Lord Voldemort has returned to this country. The Wizarding community is currently in a state of open warfare. Harry, whom Lord Voldemort has already attempted to kill on a number of occasions, is in even greater danger now than the day when I left him upon your doorstep fifteen years ago, with a letter explaining about his parents' murder and expressing the hope that you would care for him as though he were your own."**

The atmosphere in the room became extremely tense as everyone knew the Dursleys hadn't done that. After a few moments, Fleur started to read again.**  
**

**Dumbledore paused, and although his voice remained light and calm, and he gave no obvious sign of anger, Harry felt a kind of chill emanating from him and noticed that the Dursleys drew very slightly closer together.**

"**You did not do as I asked. You have never treated Harry as a son. He has known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you."**

"Spoiling is a kind of abuse," said Molly simply. "It's different, but it still is abuse."

Little Harry shifted awkwardly. He knew both of them had been treated differently than other kids, but he had always been told he bad kid and wasn't supposed to be treated nicely. Dudley had always been thought of us a wonderful kid and always got his way. Little Harry now was certain that both actions were wrong, but what was right?

"You okay, pup?" Sirius asked gently. Little Harry nodded quickly, but he was still trying to figure out how it was normal to be treated. The only thing he could figure out was love, but that couldn't be it, could it?**  
**

**Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked around instinctively, as though expecting to see someone other than Dudley squeezed between them.**

"**Us — mistreat Dudders? What d'you —?" began Uncle Vernon furiously, but Dumbledore raised his ringer for silence, a silence which fell as though he had struck Uncle Vernon dumb.**

"**The magic I evoked fifteen years ago means that Harry has powerful protection while he can still call this house 'home.' However miserable he has been here, however unwelcome, however badly treated, you have at least, grudgingly, allowed him houseroom. This magic will cease to operate the moment that Harry turns seventeen; in other words, at the moment he becomes a man. I ask only this: that you allow Harry to return, once more, to this house, before his seventeenth birthday, which will ensure that the protection continues until that time."**

**None of the Dursleys said anything. Dudley was frowning slightly, as though he was still trying to work out when he had ever been mistreated.**

"He won't figure it out because it's not obvious," said Percy.

"He eventually did figure it out," _Harry_ pointed out. "In fact, last I heard, he has almost abandoned his parents."

"You connect with him?" asked Sirius in horror.

"Just Dudley," assured _Harry_. "We sort of made up, and occasionally send a letter or meet up."**  
**

**Uncle Vernon looked as though he had something stuck in his throat; Aunt Petunia, however, was oddly flushed.**

"**Well, Harry… time for us to be off," said Dumbledore at last, standing up and straightening his long black cloak. "Until we meet again," he said to the Dursleys, who looked as though that moment could wait forever as far as they were concerned,**

"It better," growled Sirius, but he knew it wasn't possible.**  
**

** and after doffing his hat, he swept from the room.**

"**Bye," said Harry hastily to the Dursleys, and followed Dumbledore, who paused beside Harry's trunk, upon which Hedwig's cage was perched.**

"**We do not want to be encumbered by these just now," he said, pulling out his wand again. "I shall send them to the Burrow to await us there. However, I would like you to bring your Invisibility Cloak… just in case."**

**Harry extracted his cloak from his trunk with some difficulty, trying not to show Dumbledore the mess within. **

"I doubt he would care," said Bill.**  
**

**When he had stuffed it into an inside pocket of his jacket, Dumbledore waved his wand and the trunk, cage, and Hedwig vanished. Dumbledore then waved his wand again, and the front door opened onto cool, misty darkness.**

"**And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."**

"And zat's zhe end," said Fleur as she put the book down.

_Ginny_ started to reach for the book, but quickly grabbed her stomach.

"Are you okay?" _Harry_ asked quickly. It looked as if he were ready to leap up and carry her to the bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine," _Ginny_ assured her husband. "This kid is one strong kicker though." _Ginny_ got the book with no more mishaps and opened it to the correct chapter.

* * *

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review and pointing out the error. It's fixed now. I understand about why your PM is turned off. And no, it's not bothersome.  
**_

_**Anonymous: ****Thanks for the review and pointing out the error. I probably was tired when I typed it, but it's fixed now. I'm also glad you liked the little story about Harry's first word.  
**_

_**ziggyzigzap: ****Thanks for the review and pointing out the error. I don't know why I typed that, but I went and fixed it.  
**_

_**Furionknight: ****Thanks for the smile.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: ****Thanks for the review. Little kids often take statements literally, so it can make conversations interesting. I probably will end up having something happen to Fudge, but he isn't Minister yet, so I'm not certain what it will be.**_

******_Lily: Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story along with all the little changes I've made. The passage were Sirius died was one of the worst passages to write. I am planning on finishing this series as quickly as I can, while keeping up the standard of writing._  
**


	5. Horace Slughorn

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**I just want to say a quick thank-you to everyone who pointed out my errors regarding the legal ages for drinking, driving, and renting cars. I'm American, so the ages I know are the American ones. I will be going back and fixing that passage eventually, but since it isn't vital to the storyline, I think it can wait until I go through this series and edit for grammar/spelling when I'm done with DH.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's.**_

_Ginny_ let out a laugh when she saw the chapter title. "I wonder how that meeting goes," she murmured.

"What meeting?" asked _Ron_.

_Ginny's_ answer was to read the chapter title.**  
**

**Horace Slughorn**

"Oh, that one," said _Ron_ in understanding.**  
**

"You meet him?" asked Arthur in surprise. "But he's retired."

"Just read, _Ginny_," said _Harry_, as he hid his face in his hands. Slughorn had been a nice guy, but had often been a big nuisance. Slughorn had died about three years previously in his timeline and was greatly missed by the majority of the British wizarding world.

"Something wrong?" asked Sirius.

"It's Slughorn," _Harry_ responded. "Do I have to say anything more?"

"Did he try to recruit you?" Sirius asked. _Harry_ nodded, which caused Sirius to groan. "I hope you had the brains to refuse."**  
**

**Despite the fact that he had spent every waking moment of the past few days hoping desperately that Dumbledore would indeed come to fetch him, Harry felt distinctly awkward as they set off down Privet Drive together. He had never had a proper conversation with the headmaster outside of Hogwarts before;**

"I doubt very many have," said Percy.**  
**

**there was usually a desk between them. The memory of their last face-to-face encounter kept intruding too, and it rather heightened Harry's sense of embarrassment; he had shouted a lot on that occasion, not to mention done his best to smash several of Dumbledore's most prized possessions.**

"I'm certain he was able to fix them," assured Molly.

"He did," _Harry_ said with a slight grin. "Next time I was in his office, they were all fixed."**  
**

**Dumbledore, however, seemed completely relaxed.**

"**Keep your wand at the ready, Harry," he said brightly.**

"**But I thought I'm not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?"**

"**If there is an attack," said Dumbledore, "I give you permission to use any counterjinx or curse that might occur to you. However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."**

"**Why not, sir?"**

"You're with Dumbledore," said Charlie simply.

"**You are with me," said Dumbledore simply.**

Charlie blinked in surprise. It wasn't very often he said something similar to Dumbledore. He still respected the man, but now knew that Dumbledore too had made grave mistakes.**  
**

** "This will do, Harry."**

**He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive.**

"**You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said.**

"**No," said Harry. "I thought you had to be seventeen?"**

"**You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don't mind — as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment."**

**Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm.**

"**Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."**

**Harry felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from him and redoubled his grip; the next thing he knew, everything went black; he was being pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull and then —**

"Accurate description of Apparation," said Sirius.

"I don't ever wanna do that," said little Harry with a slight shiver.

"Actual Apparation isn't as bad as Side-Along Apparation," assured _Ginny_. "You're more in control when you're doing the Apparating."

"I still don't wanna do it," said little Harry firmly.**  
**

**He gulped great lungfulls of cold night air and opened his streaming eyes. He felt as though he had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. It was a few seconds before he realized that Privet Drive had vanished. He and Dumbledore were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the center of which stood an old war memorial and a few benches. His comprehension catching up with his senses, Harry realized that he had just Apparated for the first time in his life.**

"And unluckily not the last time," _Harry_ muttered.

"Oi!" cried _Ron_. "At least you never Splinched yourself."

"Oh yeah," _Harry_ realized. "What was it, part of your arm and later on your fingernails?"

"Correct, but both were under pressure," defended _Ron_.

"The only times you Splinched were when you were under pressure?" asked _Remus_ in surprise.

"Uh, yeah," _Ron_ answered. "And seventeen or eighteen at the time."

"_Ronald_!" said _Hermione_ in an angry whisper.

"Oops, sorry," apologized _Ron_.

"How can you be under pressure while Apparating during your seventh year?" asked Molly. "Or was it simply exams? Did you fail it twice?"

"No I didn't," _Ron_ retorted. "I only failed once."

"Was that the eyebrow incident?" asked _Ginny_.

"You Splinched your eyebrow?" asked Bill in surprise.

A red-faced _Ron_ nodded.

"So what where the other two Splinching incidents?" Arthur asked warily.

"You'll find out in the next book," _Harry_ promised.

"What's Splinching?" asked little Hermione.

"It's when you leave a part of your body behind," Sirius explained.

To say little Hermione and little Harry were repulsed would be an understatement.

"W-What's left behind?" asked little Harry, but his tone said that he almost didn't want to know.

"Usually part of an arm or a leg," said Remus. "It's rarely serious."

"Well that's true," said Sirius. "I only Splinched myself once during practice."

"True, but you managed to leave behind all four limbs," Remus retorted. "What was it, three days in the hospital wing?"

"I dunno," Sirius shrugged, "but it was interesting."

"You left all of your limbs behind?" asked an amused Charlie.

"Yep, and I didn't Apparated for a long time," said Sirius. "Well, I didn't learn until I was twenty."

"I never want you to Side-Along me," said a determined little Harry. "Even if I ever want to Apparate."

"I like ze feeling of Apparating," said Fleur suddenly. "I know eet's strange, but I like it."

"**Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, looking down at him solicitously. "The sensation does take some getting used to."**

"**I'm fine," said Harry, rubbing his ears, which felt as though they had left Privet Drive rather reluctantly.**

"**But I think I might prefer brooms…"**

"It might be slower, but it doesn't make you feel like you'll be sick," _Harry_ said.**  
**

**Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little more lightly around his neck, and said, "This way."**

**He set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses. According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight.**

"**So tell me, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Your scar… has it been hurting at all?"**

**Harry raised a hand unconsciously to his forehead and rubbed the lightning-shaped mark.**

"**No," he said,** "**and I've been wondering about that. I thought it would be burning all the time now Voldemort's getting so powerful again."**

"Just be thankful you're not in constant pain," Molly said.**  
**

**He glanced up at Dumbledore and saw that he was wearing a satisfied expression.**

"**I, on the other hand, thought otherwise," said Dumbledore. "Lord Voldemort has finally realized the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against you."**

"At least you don't have to feel everything now," said a relieved Molly.

"True, but it could prove dangerous," said Tonks. "Previously, _Harry's_ been warned when Voldemort is about to show up, or he at least has an idea that Voldemort's nearby. Now, there's a chance that Voldemort could sneak up on him."

"And that's why you made an excellent Auror," said _Ron_.

"Made?" queried Remus.

"I mean make," said Ron very quickly. "She was made an Auror because of her deduction skills and then she's an excellent Auror."

"_Ron_," _Harry_ groaned softly.

Remus eyed _Ron_ and _Harry_ seriously. He knew that there was something they weren't telling him and whatever it was, it had to be bad. He had an idea, but he refused to accept it. But, he was certain that several of them in this room died, besides Sirius and most likely himself. He didn't want to believe that others would die, but he knew it had to be true. He just hoped that some of those he thought might die, wouldn't. In fact, he didn't want anyone to die, but there would be a war and there would be causalities. "Please let no one else I love die," he murmured. He had already lost too much in the previous war and he would loose much in the next war. Though, he didn't care much if he died as James, Sirius, and Lily already would.

"Remus, are you all right?" asked a concerned Arthur.

"Yes, just - just thinking," said Remus quickly.

While Remus was distracted _Harry_ sent a sharp look at _Ron_. Once he had _Ron's_ attention he mouthed, "You, me, by tree in yard. Lunchtime." He also gestured to himself, _Ron_ and the outside to make certain _Ron_ got the message. _Ron_ nodded curtly, but had the feeling he was in trouble. That sort of thing happened occasionally when your best friend also happened to be one of your bosses.

_Ginny_ was watching everyone carefully. She knew what _Harry_ wanted to talk about. All of them were having trouble when it came to avoiding mentioning deaths. They all had slipped up or nearly slipped up at least once. She was certain that at least some people were certain about deaths, either their own, or someone else's. Remus was the most likely candidate to know about most of them. She was pretty sure he knew about his death and possibly Fred's, but she didn't want him to figure out any others, especially Tonks'.

"_Gin_, are you going to keep on reading?" asked _Harry_.

"What?" she asked as she was startled out of her thoughts. "Oh, yeah, I'll do that." She picked up the book and started where they had left off.**  
**

"**Well, I'm not complaining," said Harry, who missed neither the disturbing dreams nor the startling flashes of insight into Voldemort's mind.**

**They turned a corner, passing a telephone box and a bus shelter. Harry looked sideways at Dumbledore again. "Professor?"**

"**Harry?"**

"**Er — where exactly are we?"**

"**This, Harry, is the charming village of Budleigh Babberton."**

"Slughorn doesn't live there, does he?" asked Molly, furrowing her forehead. "Last I heard he was off somewhere in America."

"This is 1996," Arthur said simply. "He easily could have moved there."

"Slughorn went to America?" _Harry_ asked in surprise.

"He went there to relax in the warmer weather," Remus explained. "I lost track of him after that."

"I had no clue," _Harry_ mused, "but there are always surprises."**  
**

"**And what are we doing here?"**

"**Ah yes, of course, I haven't told you," said Dumbledore. "Well, I have lost count of the number of times I have said this in recent years, but we are, once again, one member of staff short. We are here to persuade an old colleague of mine to come out of retirement and return to Hogwarts."**

"**How can I help with that, sir?"**

"**Oh, I think we'll find a use for you," said Dumbledore vaguely. "Left here, Harry."**

**They proceeded up a steep, narrow street lined with houses. All the windows were dark. The odd chill that had lain over Privet Drive for two weeks persisted here too. Thinking of Dementors, Harry cast a look over his shoulder and grasped his wand reassuringly in his pocket.**

"**Professor, why couldn't we just Apparate directly into your old colleague's house?"**

"**Because it would be quite as rude as kicking down the front door," said Dumbledore.**

_Harry_ snorted. "I guess Hagrid never learned that."

** "Courtesy dictates that we offer fellow wizards the opportunity of denying us entry. In any case, most Wizarding dwellings are magically protected from unwanted Apparators. At Hogwarts, for instance —"**

"— **you can't Apparate anywhere inside the buildings or grounds," said Harry quickly. "Hermione Granger told me."**

"I'm glad you listen to me on occasion," said _Hermione_ firmly.

"Oi! I listen to you more on occasion!" _Harry_ defended.

"Would you say you listen sporadically?" asked _Hermione_.

"Uh, yeah," _Harry_ said awkwardly. He had no clue what the word meant, but it sounded better than occasionally.

"Just so you know, sporadically and occasionally are synonyms," _Hermione_ explained as if she were talking to a five-year-old.

"Oh," said _Harry_. He felt his ears turning red and he looked for a place to hide.

Nearly everyone in the room were either about the burst out laughing or looking very confused.

"_Harry_, I think it's time you go back to grammar school," said Sirius.

"Did you know what the word meant?" asked Remus.

"No," Sirius shrugged, "but it don't matter." He knew the correct way to say his sentence, but he did like to get Remus' goat by saying things grammatically incorrect.

"Sirius," Remus groaned. Once again, his friend was not carrying about the beauty of language.**  
**

"**And she is quite right. We turn left again."**

**The church clock chimed midnight behind them. Harry wondered why Dumbledore did not consider it rude to call on his old colleague so late, but now that conversation had been established, he had more pressing questions to ask.**

"**Sir, I saw in the Daily Prophet that Fudge has been sacked…"**

"**Correct," said Dumbledore, now turning up a steep side street. "He has been replaced, as I am sure you also saw, by Rufus Scrimgeour, who used to be Head of the Auror office."**

"**Is he… Do you think he's good?" asked Harry.**

"**An interesting question," said Dumbledore. "He is able, certainly. A more decisive and forceful personality than Cornelius."**

"That's good, right?" asked little Ginny.

"Yeah, but I know there has to be someone even better," said Bill.

"Isn't there usually someone better?" asked Charlie.

"Not always, but often," Percy said.**  
**

"**Yes, but I meant —"**

"**I know what you meant. Rufus is a man of action and, having fought Dark wizards for most of his working life, does not underestimate Lord Voldemort."**

"At least there's a fighting spirit in the office," said Bill, though he had a feeling that Scrimgeour wasn't the best man for the job.**  
**

**Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not say anything about the disagreement with Scrimgeour that the Daily Prophet had reported, and he did not have the nerve to pursue the subject, so he changed it. "And… sir… I saw about Madam Bones."**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore quietly. "A terrible loss. She was a great witch. Just up here, I think — ouch."**

**He had pointed with his injured hand.**

"**Professor, what happened to your…?"**

"**I have no time to explain now," said Dumbledore. "It is a thrilling tale, I wish to do it justice."**

"Did you ever find out?" asked Sirius.

"Yes," _Harry_ said slowly, "but I don't think the full story is in this book."**  
**

**He smiled at Harry, who understood that he was not being snubbed, and that he had** **permission to keep asking questions.**

**"Sir — I got a Ministry of Magic leaflet by owl, about security measures we should all take against the Death Eaters…"**

"**Yes, I received one myself," said Dumbledore, still smiling. "Did you find it useful?"**

"Nonsensical," said Fleur. "Eet was good ideas, but everzing should be zings people already do."**  
**

"**Not really."**

"**No, I thought not. You have not asked me, for instance, what is my favorite flavor of jam, to check that I am indeed Professor Dumbledore and not an impostor."**

"**I didn't…" Harry began, not entirely sure whether he was being reprimanded or not.**

"**For future reference, Harry, it is raspberry… although of course, if I were a Death Eater, I would have been sure to research my own jam preferences before impersonating myself."**

"Dumbledore," groaned Sirius. It was infuriating that he could still find the old man amusing, even when he was extremely angry at him.**  
**

**"Er… right," said Harry. "Well, on that leaflet, it said something about Inferi. What exactly are they? The leaflet wasn't very clear."**

"**They are corpses," said Dumbledore calmly. "Dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard's bidding. Inferi have not been seen for a long time, however, not since Voldemort was last powerful… He killed enough people to make an army of them, of course.**

Everyone shivered as simply the thought of Inferi were extremely disturbing.

"I never want to see one," said a pale Neville.

**This is the place, Harry, just here…"**

**They were nearing a small, neat stone house set in its own garden. Harry was too busy digesting the horrible idea of Inferi to have much attention left for anything else, but as they reached the front gate, Dumbledore stopped dead and Harry walked into him.**

"**Oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear."**

**Harry followed his gaze up the carefully tended front path and felt his heart sink. The front door was hanging off its hinges.**

"What happened?" asked Molly as her face quickly turned white.

"Slughorn being Slughorn," muttered _Harry_. Why did the guy have to frighten the two of them so badly?

"No one's dead, right?" asked Percy as his face also lost some of it's colour.

"No, no one's dead yet," _Harry_ assured the room. Immediately everyone looked relieved.

"So someone dies in this book," sighed Arthur. He knew it was inevitable. There was a war going on. "Who?"

"I'm not going to tell," said _Harry_ quietly. "You'll find out at the end."

After a moment of silence, _Ginny_ began to read again.**  
**

**Dumbledore glanced up and down the street. It seemed quite deserted.**

"**Wand out and follow me, Harry," he said quietly.**

**He opened the gate and walked swiftly and silently up the garden path, Harry at his heels, then pushed the front door very slowly, his wand raised and at the ready.**

"**Lumos."**

**Dumbledore's wand tip ignited, casting its light up a narrow hallway. To the left, another door stood open. Holding his illuminated wand aloft, Dumbledore walked into the sitting room with Harry right behind him.**

**A scene of total devastation met their eyes.**

"What happened?" asked Molly going pale.**  
**

** A grandfather clock lay splintered at their feet, its face cracked, its pendulum lying a little farther away like a dropped sword. A piano was on its side, its keys strewn across the floor. The wreckage of a fallen chandelier flittered nearby. Cushions lay deflated, feathers oozing from slashes in their sides; fragments of glass and china lay like powder over everything. Dumbledore raised his wand even higher, so that its light was thrown upon the walls, where something darkly red and glutinous was spattered over the wallpaper. Harry's small intake of breath made Dumbledore look around.**

"**Not pretty, is it?" he said heavily. "Yes, something horrible has happened here."**

"He sounds too calm," Remus muttered. "Something isn't right."

**Dumbledore moved carefully into the middle of the room, scrutinizing the wreckage at his feet. Harry followed, gazing around, half-scared of what he might see hidden behind the wreck of the piano or the overturned sofa, but there was no sign of a body.**

"That either means he's fine or that he was dragged off," said Bill, "but considering the chapter title and how no one from the future is nervous, I'd say Slughorn is fine. He's probably hiding somewhere."**  
**

"**Maybe there was a fight and — and they dragged him off, Professor?" Harry suggested, trying not to imagine how badly wounded a man would have to be to leave those stains spattered halfway up the walls.**

**"I don't think so," said Dumbledore quietly, peering behind an overstuffed armchair lying on its side.**

Sirius groaned. If there was anyone who could compare to Mad-Eye when it came to paranoia, Slughorn was a close second. Well, if close meant several meters behind.**  
**

"**You mean he's —?"**

"**Still here somewhere? Yes."**

**And without warning, Dumbledore swooped, plunging the tip of his wand into the seat of the overstuffed armchair, which yelled, "Ouch!"**

"Slughorn disguised himself as an armchair?" asked little Ron as he scrambled out of the armchair he was sitting in. He began poking and prodding it as if to get it to say 'ouch'. No one saw Fred climb down from his place on the nearby sofa, sneak around the back, and sit behind the armchair. No one that is, except Bill, who stifled a laugh.

Little Ron punched the back of the chair, being careful to avoid smacking Neville, who had scooted over as far to the side as he could and still be in the chair. As if on cue, Fred cried, "Ouch!"

Little Ron leapt back in fear as his eyes grew wide.

Fred's laughter gave himself away though. Molly heard a stifle of giggles, so she got out of her seat and stalked over to the armchair across the room. "Frederick Gideon Weasley, come out," she said firmly.

Fred scrambled out on his hands and knees. "That was completely uncalled for," Molly said. "You scared your younger brother."

"Relax, Mum," said Fred. "It was harmless. Ron ought to have known that our armchair wasn't a disguised person."

"Fred!" shouted little Ron. "If you ever do that to me again, I'll - I'll . . . I'll kill you!"

_Ron_ immediately went pale. He quickly began to rub his face both to hide his expression and to try to bring more colour back into it.

"You okay?" _Harry_ asked in a low whisper. _Ron_ nodded as he tried to stay calm. He couldn't believe that a simple threat that never would be carried out could startle him so. But, it had and he should've expected something like this.

"Ronald! Don't say that," scolded Molly. "Both of you, apologize. Now!"

"Sorry for scaring you, Ron," muttered Fred. "I was just playing."

Little Ron sent an angry glare at his older brother, which Molly didn't catch. "Ron," Molly said again, even firmer this time.

"Sorry for saying I'd kill you," little Ron said as he looked down at his feet.

"Thank you. Now, both of you go to your seats and I don't want more pranks." Once the two boys were where they should be and Molly was settled on the love seat again, _Ginny_ picked up the book and continued to read.**  
**

"**Good evening, Horace," said Dumbledore, straightening up again.**

**Harry's jaw dropped. Where a split second before there had been an armchair, there now crouched an enormously fat, bald, old man who was massaging his lower belly and squinting up at Dumbledore with an aggrieved and watery eye.**

"**There was no need to stick the wand in that hard," he said gruffly, clambering to his feet. "It hurt."**

Fred rubbed his belly in mock pain, until Bill sent a sharp glance in his direction.**  
**

**The wandlight sparkled on his shiny pate, his prominent eyes, his enormous, silver, walruslike mustache, and the highly polished buttons on the maroon velvet jacket he was wearing over a pair of lilac silk pajamas. The top of his head barely reached Dumbledore's chin.**

"**What gave it away?" he grunted as he staggered to his feet, still rubbing his lower belly. He seemed remarkably unabashed for a man who had just been discovered pretending to be an armchair.**

"**My dear Horace," said Dumbledore, looking amused, "if the Death Eaters really had come to call, the Dark Mark would have been set over the house."**

**The wizard clapped a pudgy hand to his vast forehead.**

"**The Dark Mark," he muttered. "Knew there was something… ah well.**

"He doesn't know the incantation, does he?" asked Arthur.

"I highly doubt it," _Hermione_ assured. "Slughorn may have been a Slytherin, but he was decent, except for his habit of collecting students for his club."

"You still hate him for forcing you to come, don't you?" _Ron_ asked. _Hermione_ sighed and nodded.**  
**

**Wouldn't have had time anyway, I'd only just put the finishing touches to my upholstery when you entered the room."**

**He heaved a great sigh that made the ends of his mustache flutter.**

**"Would you like my assistance clearing up?" asked Dumbledore politely.**

"**Please," said the other.**

**They stood back to back, the tall thin wizard and the short round one, and waved their wands in one identical sweeping motion.**

**The furniture flew back to its original places; ornaments re-formed in midair, feathers zoomed into their cushions; torn books repaired themselves as they landed upon their shelves; oil lanterns soared onto side tables and reignited; a vast collection of splintered silver picture frames flew glittering across the room and alighted, whole and untarnished, upon a desk; rips, cracks, and holes healed everywhere, and the walls wiped themselves clean.**

"Wow," said little Harry in awe. "I wish I had known how to do that. Then I wouldn't have had to do any chores at the Dursleys."

"What all did they make you do," Sirius asked quietly.

Little Harry looked up nervously. "Uh, yard work, clean the house, the dishes, and lots of other stuff. I can vacuum and polish and scrub and mow the lawn and lots of other things."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. Normally a few chores like that wouldn't be horrible for a seven-year-old. It was pretty normal for someone who was seven to have to clean their own room and maybe help with the yard and the rest of the house, but it wasn't normal for a seven-year-old to do all those chores and it sounded like little Harry did them by himself.

"How long have you been doing chores?" Remus asked, also very quietly.

Little Harry shifted nervously in Sirius' lap. "S-Since I w-was f-four," stuttered little Harry. "That's when I had to do the dishes and start vacuuming. I started doing the lawn when I was six."

By now Sirius was fuming. No one in their right mind would make a child do any of those chores. He was determined that little Harry would not have any chores once he came to live with him. The only thing close to a chore would be keeping his room reasonably tidy.

"Were you ever injured?" Sirius asked calmly and he desperately hoped the answer would be 'No'.

Little Harry didn't say anything.

"Harry, it's okay if something happened," assured Sirius. "You can tell us."

"N-Nothing h-happened," little Harry stuttered.

"Harry," Sirius said firmly, "please tell me the truth."

Little Harry shook his head in fear. "Excuse us for a moment," said Sirius. "Come with me Harry, and no, you're not in trouble. You too Remus."

Remus followed the two. Sirius was determined and little Harry looked extremely scared. Remus was worried about what they might discover.

Once they were in the hallway, Sirius sat little Harry on a chair and sat down next to him. "Harry, please, I have to know if you ever were injured during your chores."

Once again, little Harry shook his head. "Remus, can you help me?" Sirius asked desperately.

Remus kneeled down until he was at eye level with the young boy. "Harry, please look at me," he said calmly. Little Harry obliged, but it was clear he didn't want to. "Harry, I need you to tell Sirius and me the truth. Were you ever injured doing your chores?"

Little Harry bit his lip nervously. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell the truth, but the Dursleys had always told him that they beat the stuffing out of him if he told anyone. But he wasn't with the Dursleys anymore, so they couldn't do that, could they?

"Harry, I just want to know," Sirius said quietly. "You won't be in trouble if you tell. So please, can you tell me? Were you ever injured"

Little Harry quickly nodded.

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "What happened?" he asked.

Little Harry didn't say anything, but reached down and pulled off his left sock. The two looked at him strangely for a few moments, then they glanced down at little Harry's bare foot.

The toe next to his big one was about half the length of the ones next to it. Remus took one look and gulped. Sirius' eyes were going back and forth between Remus and little Harry's face and toe. The toe looked as if it had been cut off only a few weeks ago.

"W-What happened?" asked Remus as it was obvious Sirius was in no state to talk.

Little Harry didn't say anything as he pulled his sock back on. Once it was fully on he said in a barely audible tone, "The lawnmower."

Remus gasped and Sirius look horrified. "W-W-When?" asked Sirius as he desperately tried to steady his breathing.

Little Harry looked down at the floor. "Last month," he said.

"Did you ever go to the hospital?" asked Remus quickly.

Little Harry shook his head. "They never take me. I can take care of my own injuries. I bandaged my foot and kept working." Little Harry was acting as if this were normal, which frightened Remus and Sirius.

Sirius looked as if he were about to faint. "You should've told someone," he said at last.

"The Dursleys would say I did it to get attention," mumbled little Harry as he still stared at the floor.

"Did it hurt?" Remus asked. He was struggling to stay calm. He might've terrorized the Dursleys once, but it would happen again.

Little Harry just at there quietly for a few minutes. Finally he nodded briefly.

"It's amazing you didn't get an infection," said Remus in relief. "Is nearly better?"

"I think so," little Harry said quietly.

"Pup, we're going to St. Mungo's now," Sirius said firmly.

"Sirius, I know you want to do this, but the Dursleys are still his legal guardians, as much as it should be you," Remus said as he tried to stay calm. "Wait a few more days until you're proclaimed guardian, then take him. I too, want Harry to get a check up now, but it can wait a few more days."

"Oh, all right," said a slightly annoyed Sirius, "but we'll be going soon, pup."

Little Harry nodded solemnly, but he was very nervous. He had never been to a doctor. The closest experience he had had was the annual measuring and weighing by the school nurse. He had been told he was small for his age, but that's all he knew.

Remus and Sirius exchanged yet another glance. It would be a challenge to raise little Harry, but they could do it. It would be easier if little Harry were a bit more open, but they were making progress.

"Can we go back now?" little Harry asked.

"Yes," Sirius said and he picked up his godson.

"Don't carry me!" cried little Harry. "I'm not a baby!"

"I know you're not," assured Sirius, "but I don't want you walking much until you see a Healer."

Little Harry groaned, but he actually was quite glad that someone cared about him. It did still hurt a little bit to walk, but growing up with the Dursleys he had learned not to show pain, even if it hurt to move, he kept it from his face.

* * *

Once the threesome had walked out, _Harry_ leaned back and sighed. He was pretty certain what would happen.

"Will they find out about your toe?" _Ginny_ asked quietly. Naturally she knew about this particular injury as they were married. She knew the stories behind most of his scars.

"Probably," admitted _Harry_. "Though I think it's pretty fresh at this point. It should only be about a month old." He shuddered at the memory.

"What are you two talking about?" asked _Ron_.

"What my younger self, Sirius, and Remus are probably talking about," said _Harry_ simply.

"And that is . . ?" promoted _Ron_.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," said _Harry_ quickly. "I might tell you later."

"So were you ever injured doing chores?" _Ron_ asked suspiciously.

_Harry_ sighed, knowing that it was inevitable _Ron_ found out. It was a miracle that _Ron_ hadn't found out yet.

"Okay, I'll tell you," he said quietly so only _Ron_ and _Hermione_ could hear, as well as _Ginny_ of course. "When I was seven there was an accident with the lawnmower. I don't exactly remember what happened, but somehow my left toe, the one right next to my big one, got caught in the blade. So, I have one toe that's very small and doesn't have a nail."

Both _Ron_ and _Hermione_ looked shocked as well as repulsed.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" asked _Ron_.

"It never came up," shrugged _Harry_. "Look guys, it doesn't bother me anymore and doesn't affect my balance anymore either."

"Did it ever," inquired _Hermione_.

"Yeah, but I figured out how to walk," _Harry_ shrugged. "Really, relax and stop it. It doesn't bother me anymore, so why should it be an issue?"

_Ron_ didn't say anything further, but he was going to try and bring this up when he and _Harry_ were having their discussion later in the day.

Once they were back in the room, _Ginny_ began to read again. Thankfully everyone else in the room had been preoccupied and hadn't paid attention to the conversation the time travelers had had. Naturally, they were worried about little Harry, but thankfully no one asked any questions.

"**What kind of blood was that, incidentally?" asked Dumbledore loudly over the chiming of the newly unsmashed grandfather clock.**

"**On the walls? Dragon," shouted the wizard called Horace, as, with a deafening grinding and tinkling, the chandelier screwed itself back into the ceiling.**

**There was a final plunk from the piano, and silence.**

"**Yes, dragon," repeated the wizard conversationally. "My last bottle, and prices are sky-high at the moment. Still, it might be reusable."**

**He stumped over to a small crystal bottle standing on top of a sideboard and held it up to the light, examining the thick liquid within.**

"**Hmm. Bit dusty."**

**He set the bottle back on the sideboard and sighed. It was then that his gaze fell upon Harry.**

"**Oho," he said, his large round eyes flying to Harry's forehead and the lightning-shaped scar it bore. "Oho!"**

"And now he'll try to recruit you," groaned Sirius.**  
**

"**This," said Dumbledore, moving forward to make the introduction, "is Harry Potter. Harry, this is an old friend and colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn."**

**Slughorn turned on Dumbledore, his expression shrewd. "So that's how you thought you'd persuade me, is it? Well, the answer's no, Albus."**

"Was Slughorn expecting Dumbledore?" asked Arthur.

"I think so," Harry said.

Suddenly Bill let out a gasp. "I just realized something!" he cried. "Slughorn is a Potions professor and if Dumbledore's hiring him, that means you won't have to deal with Snape anymore."

"Unless Snape manages to get the DADA position," Percy pointed out.

"But then he'd be gone for good by the end of the year," added Charlie, "which would be very nice."

"So, either way, you won't have to deal with Snape for much longer," concluded Tonks.

"This is simply speculation until Slughorn agrees to teach," Percy pointed out.

"Harry's there," said Neville. "He'll get him to come."

**He pushed past Harry, his face turned resolutely away with the air of a man trying to resist temptation.**

"**I suppose we can have a drink, at least?" asked Dumbledore. "For old time's sake?"**

**Slughorn hesitated.**

"**All right then, one drink," he said ungraciously.**

**Dumbledore smiled at Harry and directed him toward a chair not unlike the one that Slughorn had so recently impersonated, which stood right beside the newly burning fire and a brightly glowing oil lamp. Harry took the seat with the distinct impression that Dumbledore, for some reason, wanted to keep him as visible as possible. Certainly when Slughorn, who had been busy with decanters and glasses, turned to face the room again, his eyes fell immediately upon Harry.**

"**Hmpf," he said, looking away quickly as though frightened of hurting his eyes. "Here —" He gave a drink to Dumbledore, who had sat down without invitation, thrust the tray at Harry, and then sank into the cushions of the repaired sofa and a disgruntled silence. His legs were so short they did not touch the floor.**

"**Well, how have you been keeping, Horace?" Dumbledore asked.**

"**Not so well," said Slughorn at once. "Weak chest. Wheezy. Rheumatism too. Can't move like I used to. Well, that's to be expected. Old age. Fatigue."**

"**And yet you must have moved fairly quickly to prepare such a welcome for us at such short notice," said Dumbledore. "You can't have had more than three minutes' warning?"**

**Slughorn said, half irritably, half proudly, "Two.**

"He did that in two minutes?" cried George.

"Don't even think about it," Molly said firmly.

"MUM!" cried Fred. "Don't you trust us?"

"We wouldn't -"

"Even dream of -"

"Doing that!"

"Somehow I doubt it," Molly muttered.**  
**

** Didn't hear my Intruder Charm go off, I was taking a bath. Still," he added sternly, seeming to pull himself back together again, "the fact remains that I'm an old man, Albus. A tired old man who's earned the right to a quiet life and a few creature comforts."**

**He certainly had those, thought Harry, looking around the room. It was stuffy and cluttered, yet nobody could say it was uncomfortable; there were soft chairs and footstools, drinks and books, boxes of chocolates and plump cushions. If Harry had not known who lived there, he would have guessed at a rich, fussy old lady.**

"**You're not yet as old as I am, Horace," said Dumbledore.**

"No one's as old as Dumbledore," said little Ron.**  
**

**"Well, maybe you ought to think about retirement yourself," said Slughorn bluntly. His pale gooseberry eyes had found Dumbledore's injured hand. "Reactions not what they were, I see."**

"**You're quite right," said Dumbledore serenely, shaking back his sleeve to reveal the tips of those burned and blackened ringers; the sight of them made the back of Harry's neck prickle unpleasantly. "I am undoubtedly slower than I was. But on the other hand…"**

**He shrugged and spread his hands wide, as though to say that age had its compensations, and Harry noticed a ring on his uninjured hand that he had never seen Dumbledore wear before: It was large, rather clumsily made of what looked like gold, and was set with a heavy black stone that had cracked down the middle. **

"The Resurrection Stone," _Ron_ murmured under his breath. He had never seen the stone, but he knew that Dumbledore had found it.**  
**

**Slughorn's eyes lingered for a moment on the ring too, and Harry saw a tiny frown momentarily crease his wide forehead.**

"**So, all these precautions against intruders, Horace… are they for the Death Eaters' benefit, or mine?" asked Dumbledore.**

"**What would the Death Eaters want with a poor broken-down old buffer like me?" demanded Slughorn.**

"Probably a lot," muttered Tonks. From what she had heard of Slughorn from her parents, he seemed like someone whom the Death Eaters would want on their side.**  
**

"**I imagine that they would want you to turn your considerable talents to coercion, torture, and murder," said Dumbledore. "Are you really telling me that they haven't come recruiting yet?"**

**Slughorn eyed Dumbledore balefully for a moment, then muttered, "I haven't given them the chance. I've been on the move for a year. Never stay in one place more than a week. Move from Muggle house to Muggle house — the owners of this place are on holiday in the Canary Islands — it's been very pleasant, I'll be sorry to leave. It's quite easy once you know how, one simple Freezing Charm on these absurd burglar alarms they use instead of Sneako-scopes and make sure the neighbors don't spot you bringing in the piano."**

"**Ingenious," said Dumbledore. "But it sounds a rather tiring existence for a broken-down old buffer in search of a quiet life. Now, if you were to return to Hogwarts —"**

"**If you're going to tell me my life would be more peaceful at that pestilential school, you can save your breath, Albus! I might have been in hiding, but some funny rumors have reached me since Dolores Umbridge left! If that's how you treat teachers these days —"**

"Just the ones who deserve it," assured _Ginny_ angrily. If anyone had deserved being run-over by centaurs it was Umbridge, but she would've liked it to happen to the Carrow siblings as well.**  
**

"**Professor Umbridge ran afoul of our centaur herd," said Dumbledore. "I think you, Horace, would have known better than to stride into the forest and call a horde of angry centaurs 'filthy half-breeds.'"**

"Most people would, but I'm glad she was enough of an idiot to do so," said Charlie.**  
**

"**That's what she did, did she?" said Slughorn. "Idiotic woman. Never liked her."**

**Harry chuckled and both Dumbledore and Slughorn looked round at him.**

"**Sorry," Harry said hastily. "It's just — I didn't like her either."**

"No one did, except for Filch and some Slytherins," said _Hermione_.**  
**

**Dumbledore stood up rather suddenly.**

"**Are you leaving?" asked Slughorn at once, looking hopeful.**

"**No, I was wondering whether I might use your bathroom," said Dumbledore.**

"**Oh," said Slughorn, clearly disappointed. "Second on the left down the hall."**

**Dumbledore strode from the room. Once the door had closed behind him, there was silence. After a few moments, Slughorn got to his feet but seemed uncertain what to do with himself. He shot a furtive look at Harry, then crossed to the fire and turned his back on it, warming his wide behind.**

**"Don't think I don't know why he's brought you," he said abruptly.**

**"To use your fame in order to gain Slughorn's teaching," muttered Remus.**

**"It was one of the few good things that came out of my fame," muttered Harry. "Slughorn was a lot better of a teacher than Snape ever was. Snape was a better potioneer, but Slughorn had the gift of teaching without insulting."  
**

**Harry merely looked at Slughorn. Slughorn's watery eyes slid over Harry's scar, this time taking in the rest of his face.**

"**You look very like your father."**

"**Yeah, I've been told," said Harry.**

"**Except for your eyes. You've got — -"**

"**My mother's eyes, yeah." Harry had heard it so often he found it a bit wearing.**

"**Hmpf. Yes, well. You shouldn't have favorites as a teacher, of course, but she was one of mine. Your mother," Slughorn added, in answer to Harry's questioning look. **

"**Lily Evans. One of the brightest I ever taught. Vivacious, you know. Charming girl. I used to tell her she ought to have been in my House. Very cheeky answers I used to get back too."**

"What kind of answers?" asked little Harry.

Remus furrowed his forehead. "I'm afraid I don't remember any particular incidents at the moment," he said rather sadly. "If I remember one though, I'll be sure to tell you."**  
**

"**Which was your House?"**

"**I was Head of Slytherin," said Slughorn. "Oh, now," he went on quickly, seeing the expression on Harry's face and wagging a stubby ringer at him, "don't go holding that against me! You'll be Gryffindor like her, I suppose? Yes, it usually goes in families. Not always, though. Ever heard of Sirius Black? **

**You must have done — been in the papers for the last couple of years — died a few weeks ago —"**

Sirius bit his lower lip firmly. He hated it that he wasn't there in the future for _Harry_ and was determined to be there this time.

**It was as though an invisible hand had twisted Harry's intestines and held them tight.**

"**Well, anyway, he was a big pal of your father's at school. The whole Black family had been in my House, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor! Shame — he was a talented boy. I got his brother, Regulus, when he came along, but I'd have liked the set."**

"I'm bloody thankful I wasn't in Slytherin, even just to avoid him," said Sirius.

**He sounded like an enthusiastic collector who had been outbid at auction. Apparently lost in memories, he gazed at the opposite wall, turning idly on the spot to ensure an even heat on his backside.**

"**Your mother was Muggle-born, of course. Couldn't believe it when I found out. Thought she must have been pure-blood, she was so good."**

"Blood doesn't have anything to do with intelligence!" cried Tonks.

"It does," said Luna calmly, "though not the way it's expected. Muggle-borns are usually better students because they want to prove themselves and oftentimes purebloods are lax because they think they know everything."

"That is true," said Bill, "not all the time, but it does happen. That's more common than brilliant purebloods and Muggle-born dunces."**  
**

"**One of my best friends is Muggle-born," said Harry, "and she's the best in our year."**

"Thanks Harry," Hermione said with a smile.**  
**

"**Funny how that sometimes happens, isn't it?" said Slughorn.**

"**Not really," said Harry coldly.**

**Slughorn looked down at him in surprise. "You mustn't think I'm prejudiced!" he said. "No, no, no! Haven't I just said your mother was one of my all-time favorite students? And there was Dirk Cresswell in the year after her too — now Head of the Goblin Liaison Office, of course — another Muggle-born, a very gifted student, and still gives me excellent inside information on the goings-on at Gringotts!"**

"I wonder how much he heard of our escapade?" mused _Ron_.

"I don't want to know," _Harry_ admitted. "I did a good job of avoiding Slughorn after that incident and I really don't want to know what he managed to find out about it. But remember, Cresswell wasn't around anymore when it happened."

"Oh, right," Ron said solemnly. He had forgotten that detail for a moment.

"Did you two had an adventure in Gringotts?" asked Sirius. "Did you get lost or something?"

"Something," admitted _Hermione_ as she struggled to hold her grin back.**  
**

**He bounced up and down a little, smiling in a self-satisfied way, and pointed at the many glittering photograph frames on the dresser, each peopled with tiny moving occupants.**

"**All ex-students, all signed. You'll notice Barnabas Cuffe, editor of the Daily Prophet, he's always interested to hear my take on the day's news. And Ambrosius Flume, of Honeydukes — a hamper every birthday, and all because I was able to give him an introduction to Ciceron Harkisss who gave him his first job! And at the back — you'll see her if you just crane your neck — that's Gwenog Jones, who of course captains the Holyhead Harpies… People are always astonished to hear I'm on first-name terms with the Harpies, and free tickets whenever I want them!"**

"I was able to get family free tickets all the time," said _Ginny_, "and I probably still could if I asked Gwen."**  
**

**This thought seemed to cheer him up enormously.**

"**And all these people know where to find you, to send you stuff?" asked Harry, who could not help wondering why the Death Eaters had not yet tracked down Slughorn if hampers of sweets, Quidditch tickets, and visitors craving his advice and opinions could find him.**

**The smile slid from Slughorn's face as quickly as the blood from his walls.**

"**Of course not," he said, looking down at Harry. "I have been out of touch with everybody for a year."**

"I doubt that," said _Ginny_. She had never really liked the man, especially since he had an uncanny knack for getting you to come to the parties, no matter how much she tried to avoid them.**  
**

**Harry had the impression that the words shocked Slughorn himself; he looked quite unsettled for a moment. Then he shrugged.**

"**Still… the prudent wizard keeps his head down in such times. All very well for Dumbledore to talk, but taking up a post at Hogwarts just now would be tantamount to declaring my public allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix! And while I'm sure they're very admirable and brave and all the rest of it, I don't personally fancy the mortality rate —"**

"Considering how nearly everyone in the previous Order did die, I can't blame him," said Arthur quietly.

"How much of the Order survives this time?" Remus asked rather sharply.

_Harry_ sighed. "I think around seven official members survived the war," he said sadly. "There were others affiliated with the Order who survived."

"That many," whispered Sirius in horror as he shook his head. "Who?"

"I can't tell you," _Harry_ said quickly, "but you'll find out."**  
**

"**You don't have to join the Order to teach at Hogwarts," said Harry, who could not quite keep a note of derision out of his voice: It was hard to sympathize with Slughorn's cosseted existence when he remembered Sirius, crouching in a cave and living on rats. "Most of the teachers aren't in it, and none of them has ever been killed — well, unless you count Quirrell, and he got what he deserved seeing as he was working with Voldemort."**

**Harry had been sure Slughorn would be one of those wizards who could not bear to hear Voldemort's name spoken aloud, and was not disappointed: Slughorn gave a shudder and a squawk of protest, which Harry ignored.**

"**I reckon the staff are safer than most people while Dumbledore's headmaster; he's supposed to be the only one Voldemort ever feared, isn't he?" Harry went on.**

**Slughorn gazed into space for a moment or two: He seemed to be thinking over Harry's words.**

**"Well, yes, it is true that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has never sought a fight with Dumbledore," he muttered grudgingly. "And I suppose one could argue that as I have not joined the Death Eaters, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can hardly count me a friend… in which case, I might well be safer a little closer to Albus… I cannot pretend that Amelia Bones's death did not shake me… If she, with all her Ministry contacts and protection…"**

"Voldemort can kill anyone he decides to kill," said _Harry_.

"Except you," _Ginny_ said with a grin.**  
**

**Dumbledore reentered the room and Slughorn jumped as though he had forgotten he was in the house.**

"**Oh, there you are, Albus," he said. "You've been a very long lime. Upset stomach?"**

"**No, I was merely reading the Muggle magazines," said Dumbledore. "I do love knitting patterns. Well, Harry, we have trespassed upon Horace's hospitality quite long enough; I think it is time for us to leave."**

**Not at all reluctant to obey, Harry jumped to his feet. Slughorn seemed taken aback.**

"**You're leaving?"**

"**Yes, indeed. I think I know a lost cause when I see one."**

"That'll get him to come," said Remus, "though I'm not certain if he's the best. I mean, he certainly will make a better Potions professor than Snape, but he still is conceited."**  
**

"**Lost…?"**

**Slughorn seemed agitated. He twiddled his fat thumbs and fidgeted as he watched Dumbledore fasten his traveling cloak, and Harry zip up his jacket.**

"**Well, I'm sorry you don't want the job, Horace," said Dumbledore, raising his uninjured hand in a farewell salute. "Hogwarts would have been glad to see you back again. Our greatly increased security notwithstanding, you will always be welcome to visit, should you wish to."**

"**Yes… well… very gracious… as I say…"**

"**Good-bye, then."**

"**Bye," said Harry.**

**They were at the front door when there was a shout from behind them.**

"**All right, all right, I'll do it!"**

"And now you've got Slughorn," said Bill. He was just a bit envious as he had only missed Slughorn by a year. Somehow he had gotten the short straw and had been among the first classes that Snape taught. Needless to say, it had given him a very bad impression of potions.**  
**

**Dumbledore turned to see Slughorn standing breathless in the doorway to the sitting room.**

"**You will come out of retirement?"**

"**Yes, yes," said Slughorn impatiently. "I must be mad, but yes."**

"**Wonderful," said Dumbledore, beaming. "Then, Horace, we shall see you on the first of September."**

"**Yes, I daresay you will," grunted Slughorn.**

**As they set off down the garden path, Slughorn's voice floated after them, "I'll want a pay rise, Dumbledore!"**

"At least he's coming," said Molly. "Slughorn does give credit where it's due, so your Potions grades will go up."**  
**

**Dumbledore chuckled. The garden gate swung shut behind them, and they set off back down the hill through the dark and the swirling mist.**

"**Well done, Harry," said Dumbledore.**

"**I didn't do anything," said Harry in surprise.**

"**Oh yes you did. You showed Horace exactly how much he stands to gain by returning to Hogwarts. Did you like him?"**

"**Er…"**

**Harry wasn't sure whether he liked Slughorn or not. He supposed he had been pleasant in his way, but he had also seemed vain and, whatever he said to the contrary, much too surprised that a Muggle-born should make a good witch.**

"There are many wizards like that, but some of the time it's just because they grew up with that philosophy pounded into them," said Arthur. "Some, like Slughorn, try to still see the potential in all of them, whereas other wizards like Malfoy believe that everyone who isn't a pureblood should be kicked out of Hogwarts."**  
**

"**Horace," said Dumbledore, relieving Harry of the responsibility to say any of this, "likes his comfort. He also likes the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the backseat — more room to spread out, you see. He used to handpick favorites at Hogwarts, sometimes for their ambition or their brains, sometimes for their charm or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosing those who would go on to become outstanding in their various fields. Horace formed a kind of club of his favorites with himself at the center, making introductions, forging useful contacts between members, and always reaping some kind of benefit in return, whether a free box of his favorite crystallized pineapple or the chance to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin liaison Office."**

**Harry had a sudden and vivid mental image of a great swollen spider, spinning a web around it, twitching a thread here and there to bring its large and juicy flies a little closer.**

"Lay off with the spiders!" cried little Ron. "Please!"

"I don't know how many descriptions there are that do with them," said _Harry_, "but they most certainly are not on purpose."**  
**

"**I tell you all this," Dumbledore continued, "not to turn you against Horace — or, as we must now call him, Professor Slughorn — but to put you on your guard. He will undoubtedly try to collect you, Harry. You would be the jewel of his collection; 'the Boy Who Lived'… or, as they call you these days, 'the Chosen One.'"**

**At these words, a chill that had nothing to do with the surrounding mist stole over Harry. He was reminded of words he had heard a few weeks ago, words that had a horrible and particular meaning to him: Neither can live while the other survives…**

**Dumbledore had stopped walking, level with the church they had passed earlier.**

**"This will do, Harry. If you will grasp my arm."**

**Braced this time, Harry was ready for the Apparition, but still found it unpleasant. **

"It's a little better the second time," admitted Remus, "but you never fully get over the weird feeling."**  
**

**When the pressure disappeared and he found himself able to breathe again, he was standing in a country lane beside Dumbledore and looking ahead to the crooked silhouette of his second favorite building in the world: the Burrow.**

**In spite of the feeling of dread that had just swept through him, his spirits could not help but lift at the sight of it. Ron was in there… and so was Mrs. Weasley, who could cook better than anyone he knew…**

"**If you don't mind, Harry," said Dumbledore, as they passed through the gate, "I'd like a few words with you before we part. In private. Perhaps in here?"**

**Dumbledore pointed toward a run-down stone outhouse where the Weasleys kept their broomsticks. **

**A little puzzled, Harry followed Dumbledore through the creaking door into a space a little smaller than the average cupboard.**

Little Harry shivered slightly at the mention of a cupboard and Sirius gently rubbed his back, which caused him to relax slightly.**  
**

** Dumbledore illuminated the tip of his wand, so that it glowed like a torch, and smiled down at Harry.**

**"I hope you will forgive me for mentioning it, Harry, but I am pleased and a little proud at how well you seem to be coping after everything that happened at the Ministry.**

**Permit me to say that I think Sirius would have been proud of you."**

"And I am," said Sirius. "I want you to hear it from my own lips. I am proud and always will be proud of you."

"Thanks, Sirius," _Harry_ said a bit huskily.**  
**

**Harry swallowed; his voice seemed to have deserted him. He did not think he could stand to discuss Sirius; it had been painful enough to hear Uncle Vernon say "His godfather's dead?" and even worse to hear Sirius's name thrown out casually by Slughorn.**

"**It was cruel," said Dumbledore softly, "that you and Sirius had such a short time together. A brutal ending to what should have been a long and happy relationship."**

**Harry nodded, his eyes fixed resolutely on the spider now climbing Dumbledore's hat. **

**He could tell that Dumbledore understood, that he might even suspect that until his letter arrived, Harry had spent nearly all his time at the Dursleys' lying on his bed, refusing meals, and staring at the misted window, full of the chill emptiness that he had come to associate with Dementors.**

"**It's just hard," Harry said finally, in a low voice, "to realize he won't write to me again."**

A sudden look of determination entered Sirius' eyes. He would write a letter to _Harry_ and give it to _Harry_ to take back to his timeline. _Harry_ needed more than one or two notes. He needed a full-fledged letter that was full of love and information about his parents.**  
**

**His eyes burned suddenly and he blinked. He felt stupid for admitting it, but the fact that he had had someone outside Hogwarts who cared what happened to him, almost like a parent, had been one of the best things about discovering his godfather… and now the post owls would never bring him that comfort again…**

"**Sirius represented much to you that you had never known before," said Dumbledore gently. "Naturally, the loss is devastating…"**

**"But while I was at the Dursleys'…" interrupted Harry, his voice growing stronger, "I realized I can't shut myself away or — or crack up.**

"You still do it on occasion," _Ginny_ pointed out.

"True, but that's when I'm trying to solve some case," _Harry_ defended. "Sometimes I need peace and quiet to figure things out."**  
**

** Sirius wouldn't have wanted that, would he? And anyway, life's too short… Look at Madam Bones, look at Emmeline Vance… It could be me next, couldn't it? But if it is," he said fiercely, now looking straight into Dumbledore's blue eyes gleaming in the wandlight, "I'll make sure I take as many Death Eaters with me as I can, and Voldemort too if I can manage it."**

"That's the sort of attitude that you should have," said Sirius proudly.

"It also can get you killed," said Molly sternly. "You ought to leave the fighting to the adults."

_Harry_ sighed. "Mum, look, I was not a child. I never had a childhood. I faced Voldemort when I was eleven and I'm pretty certain that was the end of whatever childhood I had, which wasn't much. You heard the prophesy. The only way to end the war was for me to face Voldemort. There was no stopping it then and I doubt there will be much stopping it this time."

"I still have to do it?" asked a white-faced little Harry.

"I'm afraid you will," said _Harry_ sadly, "but hopefully you'll have more help and more people on your side this time. Some can't things can't change, but others can. I don't know what those changes are as they're things you'll discover yourself, but I'm certain that your life will be better than mine."**  
**

"**Spoken both like your mother and father's son and Sirius's true godson!" said Dumbledore, with an approving pat on Harry's back. "I take my hat off to you — or I would, if I were not afraid of showering you in spiders.**

Both Rons shuddered.

"**And now, Harry, on a closely related subject… I gather that you have been taking the Daily Prophet over the last two weeks?"**

"**Yes," said Harry, and his heart beat a little faster.**

"**Then you will have seen that there have been not so much leaks as floods concerning your adventure in the Hall of Prophecy?"**

"**Yes," said Harry again. "And now everyone knows that I'm the one —"**

"**No, they do not," interrupted Dumbledore. "There are only two people in the whole world who know the full contents of the prophecy made about you and Lord Voldemort, and they are both standing in this smelly, spidery broom shed. It is true, however, that many have guessed, correctly, that Voldemort sent his Death Eaters to steal a prophecy, and that the prophecy concerned you.**

"**Now, I think I am correct in saying that you have not told anybody that you know what the prophecy said?"**

"**No," said Harry.**

**"A wise decision, on the whole," said Dumbledore. "Although I think you ought to relax it in favor of your friends, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger.**

**"Yes," he continued, when Harry looked startled, "I think they ought to know. You do them a disservice by not confiding something this important to them."**

"It is a good thing you told us," said _Hermione_. "And I know we were able to help you more by knowing."**  
**

"**I didn't want —"**

"— **to worry or frighten them?" said Dumbledore, surveying Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "Or perhaps, to confess that you yourself are worried and frightened? You need your friends, Harry. As you so rightly said, Sirius would not have wanted you to shut yourself away."**

**Harry said nothing, but Dumbledore did not seem to require an answer. He continued, "On a different, though related, subject, it is my wish that you take private lessons with me this year."**

"Private lessons with Dumbledore?" asked Percy in shock and amazement.**  
**

"**Private — with you?" said Harry, surprised out of his preoccupied silence.**

"**Yes. I think it is time that I took a greater hand in your education."**

"**What will you be teaching me, sir?"**

"**Oh, a little of this, a little of that," said Dumbledore airily.**

"What exactly did he teach you?" inquired Arthur.

"You'll see," _Harry_ assured the room. The lessons had been interesting and extremely helpful.**  
**

**Harry waited hopefully, but Dumbledore did not elaborate, so ho asked something else that had been bothering him slightly.**

"**If I'm having lessons with you, I won't have to do Occlumency lessons with Snape, will I?"**

"**No those were just a waste of time."**

"Good, he now realizes it," muttered Sirius.**  
**

''**Professor Snape, Harry — and no, you will not."**

"**Good," said Harry in relief, "because they were a —"**

**He stopped, careful not to say what he really thought.**

"**I think the word 'fiasco' would be a good one here," said Dumbledore, nodding.**

"At least he's admitting it was a bad idea," growled Sirius.**  
**

**Harry laughed.**

"**Well, that means I won't see much of Professor Snape from now on," he said, "because he won't let me carry on Potions unless I get 'Outstanding' in my OWL., which I know I haven't."**

"**Don't count your owls before they are delivered," said Dumbledore gravely. **

"**Which, now I think of it, ought to be some time later today. Now, two more things, Harry, before we part.**

"**Firstly, I wish you to keep your Invisibility Cloak with you at all times from this moment onward. Even within Hogwarts itself. Just in case, you understand me?"**

"That should be something you do anyways," said Sirius. "I think James nearly always had it in his bookbag or somewhere nearby."**  
**

**Harry nodded.**

"**And lastly, while you stay here, the Burrow has been given the highest security the Ministry of Magic can provide. These measures have caused a certain amount of inconvenience to Arthur and Molly — all their post, for instance, is being searched at the Ministry before being sent on. They do not mind in the slightest, for their only concern is your safety. However, it would be poor repayment if you risked your neck while staying with them."**

"And enters the excellent guilt trip," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"**I understand," said Harry quickly.**

**"Very well, then," said Dumbledore, pushing open the broom shed door and stepping out into the yard. "I see a light in the kitchen. Let us not deprive Molly any longer of the chance to deplore how thin you are."**

"That's it," said _Ginny_. "Who wants to read next?"

"I'm next," said Remus and he gently took the book.**  
**

* * *

**_A/N I made up the bit about Slughorn going to America, but can't you see him doing something like that and trying to pick up famous American wizards?_**

**kiwi: Thanks for the review and for pointing out my error.  
**

**Furionknight: Thanks for the smile.  
**

**RemySevvyFan: ****Thanks for the review.** I'm glad you enjoyed the reactions, but don't take too much time reading this. School is important, even if you hate the subject. I hate Spanish, but I have to take it.  



	6. Excess of Phlegm

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_  
_**Sorry it's taken longer than usual. I had a case of writers block with this story, as well as school, though updates might be slightly easier since I just got my own computer. Now that I don't have to share a laptop with my mom anymore, I will probably be able to find more time to write.**_

_**I'm not very pleased with this chapter, but I figured I should get it out. I doubt I'll have much time to write in the next month and a half as I'm doing another presentation at the beginning of March. I need to get all prepared in this next week so I know what I'm doing. Hopefully I'll be able to write a little bit, but no guarantees for fast updates for the next few weeks.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's.**_

Remus' eyes narrowed in confusion as he read the chapter title.

**Excess of Phlegm**

"What does that mean?" asked little Ron.

_Hermione_ and _Ginny_ exchanged worried glances. This chapter would definitely involve loudness.

"Something you probably don't want to know, but will find out," said _Ginny_ slowly. She hated how she had acted around Fleur at this point. She had thought that Fleur had used her beauty on Bill, but after the attack, she realized that the two really loved each other and so had started to feel different about her.

**Harry and Dumbledore approached the back door of the Burrow, which was surrounded by the familiar litter of old Wellington boots and rusty cauldrons; Harry could hear the soft clucking of sleepy chickens coming from a distant shed. Dumbledore knocked three times and Harry saw sudden movement behind the kitchen window.**

**"Who's there?" said a nervous voice he recognized as Mrs. Weasley's. "Declare yourself!"**

**"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry."**

**The door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.**

**"Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!"**

"Technically it is morning since it's after midnight," Percy pointed out.

"Don't get technical, Perce," groaned Charlie.

"The way days are done is extremely strange," commented little Hermione. "We go from midnight to midnight; a dark period to a dark period with a time of light in the middle. Wouldn't it make more sense for a day to begin with a dark period and end with a light period. I mean, the day for us starts 12 AM, while it is still dark, but it would make more sense for the day to start at sixish or whenever the sun sets and for the day to end at sunset as well. So, day would be from about 6 PM to 6 PM and then night, or the dark period, would be the beginning of the day, or the next twenty-four hour period."

By the end of little Hermione's explanation, everyone was looking very confused, except for _Hermione_ of course. "That would make more sense," said _Hermione_. "And that's how it used to be done, before the invention of the clock. Though, I know some places still observe sunset as the start of the new day, especially in regards to a Sabbath day."

"Can someone explain in simpler terms what you two are talking about?" asked Tonks.

"A day is equal to a twenty-four hour period," answered _Hermione_. "For us, a day starts at twelve AM and ends at 11:59 PM, a dark time. My younger self is saying that day should begin in dark and end in light as sunset is a time when it is neither light nor dark. Because of that, it makes an excellent transition time for a new day to begin So, day would begin in dark and end in light instead of beginning and ending in dark."

"I'm still confused," muttered Charlie, "but I think I get it, well, sort of. I'm not going to try and explain though, as I'll probably end up confusing myself."

**"We were lucky," said Dumbledore, ushering Harry over the threshold. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!"**

"So I'm there," murmured Tonks, though her hair did turn redder from hearing her full name.

**Harry looked around and saw that Mrs. Weasley was not alone, despite the lateness of the hour. A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair was sitting at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.**

"What am I doing with brown hair?" asked a worried Tonks. "What happened?"

"Why is brown hair bad?" asked little Ginny.

"I don't like my natural hair shade," Tonks explained, "and if I'm wearing it, it means for some reason I can't morph."

"**Hello, Professor," she said. "Wotcher, Harry."**

**"Hi, Tonks."**

**Harry thought she looked drawn, even ill, and there was something forced in her smile. Certainly her appearance was less colorful than usual without her customary shade of bubble-gum-pink hair.**

**"I'd better be off," she said quickly, standing up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."**

"I guess it has to do with my death," said Sirius quietly.

Remus winced. "Sirius, please avoid mentioning that," he begged. "I don't want to think about it more than what the book mentions."

**"Please don't leave on my account," said Dumbledore courteously, "I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour."**

**"No, no, I need to get going," said Tonks, not meeting Dumbledore's eyes. "'Night…"**

**"Dear, why not come to dinner at the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming…?"**

**"No, really, Molly… thanks anyway… Good night, every-one."**

**Tonks hurried past Dumbledore and Harry into the yard; a few paces beyond the doorstep, she turned on the spot and vanished into thin air. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked troubled.**

**"Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Take care of yourself. Molly, your servant."**

**He made Mrs. Weasley a bow and followed Tonks, vanishing at precisely the same spot.**

"Is zat an Apparation point?" asked Fleur.

"Yes, it was," said _Hermione_. "Everyone figured a designated Apparation point would make things even safer."

**Mrs. Weasley closed the door on the empty yard and then steered Harry by the shoulders into the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine his appearance.**

**"You're like Ron," she sighed, looking him up and down. "Both of you look as though you've had Stretching jinxes put on you.**

"And that was the year I finally grew," said _Harry_. "I was nearly the height of the majority of the boys in my year. Minus Ron of course."

"Oi!" cried _Ron._

"_Ron_, you were over six foot at sixteen," said _Harry_. "You were nearly that height at fifteen. Naturally you're taller than everyone in your year. Heck, you were the height of most seventh years by the end of fourth year."

**I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes. Are you hungry, Harry?"**

**"Yeah, I am," said Harry, suddenly realizing just how hungry he was,**

**"Sit down, dear, I'll knock something up."**

**As Harry sat down, a furry ginger cat with a squashed face lumped onto his knees and settled there, purring.**

**"So Hermione's here?" he asked happily as he tickled Crookshanks behind the ears.**

"No, I nicked Crookshanks," said Ginny sarcastically.

"What?" asked little Hermione in horror.

"I was joking," said _Ginny_, "relax. As if I'd do that."

**"Oh yes, she arrived the day before yesterday," said Mrs. Weasley, rapping a large iron pot with her wand. It bounced onto the stove with a loud clang and began to bubble at once. "Everyone's in bed, of course, we didn't expect you for hours. Here you are…"**

**She tapped the pot again; it rose into the air, flew toward Harry, and tipped over; Mrs. Weasley slid a bowl nearly beneath it just in time to catch the stream of thick, steaming onion soup.**

"Wow," said little Harry in awe. "Magic does everything!" He was still getting used to all of the household aspects of magic.

"I remember the first time you tried doing that," mused Arthur with a smile on his face.

"Don't you say anything," Molly said firmly, but she was smiling too.

Arthur took that as a cue to continue if he wished. "She messed up the timing just slightly and I ended up with a face-full of tomato soup."

**"Bread, dear?"**

**"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."**

**She waved her wand over her shoulder; a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully onto the table; as the loaf sliced itself and the soup pot dropped back onto the stove, Mrs. Weasley sat down opposite him.**

**"So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?"**

**Harry nodded, his mouth so full of hot soup that he could not speak.**

**"He taught Arthur and me," said Mrs. Weasley. "He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you like him?"**

"You can't really like or dislike Slughorn," Arthur said. "That's just who he is."

**His mouth now full of bread, Harry shrugged and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head.**

**"I know what you mean," said Mrs. Weasley, nodding wisely. "Of course he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favorites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur… didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters… it's only just happened… but Arthur's been promoted!"**

"Congratulations!" cried the entire room, minus the time travelers. Those in the room didn't care that the event hadn't happened yet, rather they were extremely glad that it would happen.

**It could not have been clearer that Mrs. Weasley had been bursting to say this.**

**Harry swallowed a large amount of very hot soup and thought he could feel his throat blistering.**

**"That's great!" he gasped.**

**"You are sweet," beamed Mrs. Weasley, possibly taking his watering eyes for emotion at the news.**

"Oops," Molly murmured.

**"Yes, Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects.**

"That's a mouth-full of an office name," said Fred, "but it sounds great."

**It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!"**

"Wow," whistled Bill.

**"What exactly?"**

**"Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters.**

**You can imagine the kind of thing… so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit of bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off…**

"And people are dumb enough to believe that?" asked Bill skeptically.

"Sometimes if you're worried enough, you'll take drastic measures," Remus explained. "Even though weird things might happen from those measures."

**Well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Fletcher, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up. The other day Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. So you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish." Mrs. Weasley ended her speech with a stern look, as if it had been Harry suggesting that it was natural to miss spark plugs.**

**"Is Mr. Weasley still at work?" Harry asked.**

**"Yes, he is. As a matter of fact, he's a tiny bit late… He said he'd be back around midnight…"**

**She turned to look at a large clock that was perched awkwardly on top of a pile of sheets in the washing basket at the end of the table. Harry recognized it at once: It had nine hands, each inscribed with the name of a family member, and usually hung on the Weasleys' sitting room wall, though its current position suggested that Mrs. Weasley had taken to carrying it around the house with her.**

**Every single one of its nine hands was now pointing at "mortal peril."**

Everyone in the room paled slightly.

"It's just because the war's going on," said _Harry_. "Everyone who's on Dumbledore's side is in danger. It wasn't just your family."

**"It's been like that for a while now," said Mrs. Weasley, in an unconvincingly casual voice, "ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open. I suppose everybody's in mortal danger now… I don't think it can be just our family… but I don't know anyone else who's got a clock like this, so I can't check. Oh!"**

**With a sudden exclamation she pointed at the clock's face. Mr. Weasley's hand had switched to "traveling."**

**"He's coming!"**

**And sure enough, a moment later there was a knock on the back door. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and hurried to it; with one hand on the doorknob and her face pressed against the wood she called softly, "Arthur, is that you?"**

**"Yes," came Mr. Weasley's weary voice. "But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!"**

**"Oh, honestly…"**

**"Molly!"**

**"All right, all right… What is your dearest ambition?"**

Arthur felt his cheeks turn red. If it was still the same, he did not want everyone to hear it.

**"To find out how airplanes stay up."**

"Really?" asked little Hermione. "They stay up by the way their wings work against the air as well as the engines' thrust. I know it's a lot more detailed than that, but airplanes don't interest me very much."

"Something _Hermione_ isn't interested in?" cried _Ron_ in mock surprise. "What horror!"

"_Ronald_!" _Hermione_ said sternly as she glared at her husband. "You know I'm not interested in everything!"

"I know, I know," said _Ron_. "You know I'm teasing, right?"

_Hermione_ continued to glare for a few more seconds before bursting into laughter. "Yes, _Ron_, I know you're teasing," she assured him. "But I like to tease you too sometimes."

**Mrs. Weasley nodded and turned the doorknob, but apparently Mr. Weasley was holding tight to it on the other side, because the door remained firmly shut.**

**"Molly! I've got to ask you your question first!"**

**"Arthur, really, this is just silly…"**

**"What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?"**

This time Molly turned bright red.

"Uh, kids, I don't think you want to know this," Arthur said awkwardly.

It was clear that everyone was uncomfortable. Molly and Arthur didn't want this name to get out, the kids didn't want to hear it, and Remus and Sirius felt as if they shouldn't be there at that moment.

**Even by the dim light of the lantern Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley had turned bright red; he himself felt suddenly warm around the ears and neck, and hastily gulped soup, clattering his spoon as loudly as he could against the bowl.**

Remus quickly looked up as if wondering whether or not he should read the next word. He wanted to give Molly and Arthur their privacy.

"You did say we wouldn't remember everything, correct?" asked Arthur.

"Yes," answered _Hermione_. "No one will remember it, but you still can have Remus skip over the name if you wish."

"Just read it," said a red-faced Arthur.

Remus took a deep breath and continued.

**"Mollywobbles,"**

Arthur and Molly both tuned deeper shades of red, if it were even possible.

All of the children looked embarrassed at being in the same room where that word was uttered.

**whispered a mortified Mrs. Weasley into the crack at the edge of the door.**

**"Correct," said Mr. Weasley. "Now you can let me in."**

**Mrs. Weasley opened the door to reveal her husband, a thin, balding, red-haired wizard wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and a long and dusty traveling cloak.**

**"I still don't see why we have to go through that every time you come home," said Mrs. Weasley, still pink in the face as she helped her husband out of his cloak. "I mean, a Death Eater might have forced the answer out of you before impersonating you!"**

"It would probably take more than a Death Eater to get Dad to utter that," said Percy, who wished he hadn't heard the nickname.

**"I know, dear, but it's Ministry procedure, and I have to set an example. Something smells good… onion soup?"**

**Mr. Weasley turned hopefully in the direction of the table.**

**"Harry! We didn't expect you until morning!"**

"It is morning," said Percy again.

"Percy, give it a rest," said Bill. "I don't want a repeat of the discussion we had a few minutes ago. My mind's still reeling."

**They shook hands, and Mr. Weasley dropped into the chair beside Harry as Mrs. Weasley set a bowl of soup in front of him too.**

**"Thanks, Molly. It's been a tough night. Some idiot's started selling Metamorph-Medals. Just sling them around your neck and you'll be able to change your appearance at will.**

"What?" asked Tonks in shock. "Who in their right mind would buy that, let alone make it?"

"A lot of people," _Ron_ answered. "There were so many idiots during that war because no one was prepared for the horrors of it."

"Preparation helps," said little Hermione simply.

**A hundred thousand disguises, all for ten Galleons!"**

**"And what really happens when you put them on?"**

**"Mostly you just turn a fairly unpleasant orange color, but a couple of people have also sprouted tentacle like warts all over their bodies.**

"That is a disguise-"

"Just not a good one."

"Boys," said Molly sternly. "This isn't something to joke about."

**As if St. Mungo's didn't have enough to do already!"**

**"It sounds like the sort of thing Fred and George would find funny," said Mrs. Weasley hesitantly. "Are you sure…?"**

"Mum, we wouldn't do dangerous things!" assured the twins, horrified that their mum would even think that they would do such things..

"Yeah, we're -"

"Smarter than that."

**"Of course I am!" said Mr. Weasley. "The boys wouldn't do anything like that now, not when people are desperate for protection!"**

**"So is that why you're late, Metamorph-Medals?"**

**"No, we got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad had sorted it out by the time we got there…"**  
**Harry stifled a yawn behind his hand.**

**"Bed," said an undeceived Mrs. Weasley at once. "I've got Fred and George's room all ready for you, you'll have it to yourself."**

"I wouldn't sleep in there," said Bill carefully.

"Why?" asked George.

"It's rarely safe in your bedroom," Bill said. "I found that out myself a few days ago when you died my hair pink! Thankfully it went away, but you probably still have your room booby-trapped."

"I doubt it would be booby-trapped at that point," said Tonks.

"Never doubt anything when it comes to the twins," Charlie advised. "They always have something up their sleeves."

**"Why, where are they?"**

**"Oh, they're in Diagon Alley, sleeping in the little flat over their joke shop as they're so busy," said Mrs. Weasley. "I must say, I didn't approve at first, but they do seem to have a bit of a flair for business! Come on, dear, your trunks already up there."**

**"'Night, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, pushing back his chair. Crookshanks leapt lightly from his lap and slunk out of the room.**

**"G'night, Harry," said Mr. Weasley.**

**Harry saw Mrs. Weasley glance at the clock in the washing basket as they left the kitchen. All the hands were once again at "mortal peril."**

**Fred and George's bedroom was on the second floor. Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at a lamp on the bedside table and it ignited at once, bathing the room in a pleasant golden glow. Though a large vase of flowers had been placed on a desk in front of the small window, their perfume could not disguise the lingering smell of what Harry thought was gunpowder.**

"It's a wizard house," said an amused Sirius. "I doubt there would be gunpowder, but there could easily have been explosives."

"There were," _Harry_ assured. "The twins' room is certainly interesting, though a bit dangerous."

_Hermione_ scowled at the memory of the punching telescope.

**A considerable amount of floor space was devoted to a vast number of unmarked, sealed cardboard boxes, amongst which stood Harry's school trunk. The room looked as though it was being used as a temporary warehouse.**

"It always is some type of warehouse," said Charlie. "Seriously, it's like a maze in their room."

"I think that's a mess," said little Ginny.

"What's a mess for someone, may be neatness to others," said Luna quietly.

**Hedwig hooted happily at Harry from her perch on top of a large wardrobe, then took off through the window; Harry knew she had been waiting to see him before going hunting. Harry bade Mrs. Weasley good night, put on pajamas, and got into one of the beds. There was something hard inside the pillowcase. He groped inside it and pulled out a sticky purple-and-orange sweet, which he recognized as a Puking Pastille. Smiling to himself, he rolled over and was instantly asleep.**

**Seconds later, or so it seemed to Harry, he was awakened by what sounded like cannon fire as the door burst open. Sitting bolt upright, he heard the rasp of the curtains being pulled back: The dazzling sunlight seemed to poke him hard in both eyes. Shielding them with one hand, he groped hopelessly for his glasses with the other.**

**"Wuzzgoinon?"**

**"We didn't know you were here already!" said a loud and excited voice, and he received a sharp blow to the top of the head.**

**"Ron, don't hit him!" said a girl's voice reproachfully.**

**Harry's hand found his glasses and he shoved them on, though the light was so bright he could hardly see anyway. A long, looming shadow quivered in front of him for a moment; he blinked and Ron Weasley came into focus, grinning down at him.**

**"All right?"**

**"Never been better," said Harry, rubbing the top of his head and slumping back onto his pillows. "You?"**

**"Not bad," said Ron, pulling over a cardboard box and sitting on it. "When did you get here? Mum's only just told us!"**

**"About one o'clock this morning."**

**"Were the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?"**

"No," growled Sirius, looking down at little Harry's sock-enclosed foot.

**"Same as usual," said Harry, as Hermione perched herself on the edge of his bed, "they didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way. How're you, Hermione?"**

**"Oh, I'm fine," said Hermione, who was scrutinizing Harry as though he was sickening for something.**

**He thought he knew what was behind this, and as he had no wish to discuss Sirius's death or any other miserable subject at the moment, he said, "What's the time? Have I missed breakfast?"**

"Boys, always thinking of food," muttered Molly with a shake of her head.

**"Don't worry about that, Mum's bringing you up a tray; she reckons you look underfed," said Ron, rolling his eyes.**

**"So, what's been going on?"**

**"Nothing much, I've just been stuck at my aunt and uncle's, haven't I?"**

**"Come off it!" said Ron. "You've been off with Dumbledore!"**

**"It wasn't that exciting. He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of retirement. His name's Horace Slughorn."**

**"Oh," said Ron, looking disappointed. "We thought…"**

**Hermione flashed a warning look at Ron, and Ron changed tack at top speed.**

**"… we thought it'd be something like that."**

"What were you going to say?" asked Remus.

_Ron_ shrugged. "It's been nine years," he said in defense.

**"You did?" said Harry, amused.**

**"Yeah… yeah, now Umbridge has left, obviously we need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, don't we? So, er, what's he like?"**

"You thought Slughorn would be the DADA teacher?" asked Molly.

"It was the vacant spot," _Hermione_ defended. "Naturally we'd assume that that was the spot getting filled."

**"He looks a bit like a walrus, and he used to be Head of Slytherin," said Harry.**

**"Something wrong, Hermione?"**

**She was watching him as though expecting strange symptoms to manifest themselves at any moment. She rearranged her features hastily in an unconvincing smile.**

**"No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?"**

**"Dunno," said Harry. "He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"**

"No one can be worse than her," said Molly determinedly.

Ginny looked slightly skeptically at her mother, but didn't say anything. She had never experienced a detention with Umbridge, but she had experienced detentions with the Carrows.

"**I know someone who's worse than Umbridge," said a voice from the doorway. Ron's younger sister slouched into the room, looking irritable.**

**"Hi, Harry."**

**"What's up with you?" Ron asked.**

**"It's her," said Ginny, plonking herself down on Harry's bed. "She's driving me mad."**

"Who?" asked Charlie slowly.

The four time travelers all stared at each other.

"Can I remind everyone that this is still the future for you, but long ago for us?" asked _Harry_ warily. He didn't want any explosions of anger, especially from Fleur as she could be quite dangerous when she got angry.

"Why?" asked Fleur. "What is going to 'appen?"

"Something that we all wish we didn't say," _Ginny_ said quietly. She knew what was going to happen next.

**_"What's_ she done now?" asked Hermione sympathetically.**

**"It's the way she talks to me… you'd think I was about three!"**

**"I know," said Hermione, dropping her voice. "She's so full of herself."**

**Harry was astonished to hear Hermione talking about Mrs. Weasley like this and could not blame Ron for saying angrily, "Can't you two lay off her for five seconds?"**

"You thought we were talking about Mum?" asked _Ron_ in horror. "_Harry_, I never . . ."

"_Ron_, relax," said _Harry_. "I was an idiot to think that."

"Who were you talking about?" asked Molly quietly and a bit severely.

**"Oh, that's right, defend her," snapped Ginny. "We all know you can't get enough of her."**

**This seemed an odd comment to make about Ron's mother. Starting to feel that he was missing something, Harry said, "Who are you…?"**

**But his question was answered before he could finish it. The bedroom door flew open again, and Harry instinctively yanked the bedcovers up to his chin so hard that Hermione and Ginny slid off the bed onto the floor.**

**A young woman was standing in the doorway, a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become strangely airless.**  
**She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow. To complete this vision of perfection, she was carrying a heavily laden breakfast tray.**

"That's you're picture of a perfect woman?" asked a joking Sirius. "Tall, blonde, glowing, and carrying breakfast?"

"Lay off, Sirius," said _Harry_ with a laugh. "That's not my perfect vision of a woman, but for someone I know, it is his perfect vision of a woman. My perfect vision involves a petite, red-headed beautiful lady." _Harry_ grinned and pulled _Ginny_ in for a hug and kiss as he said this.

"Is pregnant included in that?" asked _Ginny_ in a joking tone.

"Certainly, _Gin_," assured _Harry_. "There's a new little Potter in there."

"Baby bowter?" asked James from his place on the floor. He hadn't spoken in a long time because he was busy playing. Even at a young age, he had a long attention span and normally was a very quiet child.

"Perhaps," said _Ginny_. "Or it might be a baby sister."

"Bowter," said James firmly or as firmly as a fourteen-month-old could.

_Harry_ grinned at his son. Little ones were so adorable.

At that moment, Rose let out a little squeak. "She's probably hungry," said _Hermione_ and she gently took her daughter from Ron. A few minutes later, Hermione was situated with a blanket over her shoulder and Remus continued to read.

**"'Arry," she said in a throaty voice. "Eet 'as been too long!"**

**"I'm back!" said Fleur in surprise. She paused for a moment, and asked quietly, "Was this what you were saying is the future for me?"**

"Yeah," _Ginny_ said a bit awkwardly. "Look, I said some awful things about your future self this year, but I want you to know that I didn't mean any of it. In fact, I'm very close with the you from my time."

"All right," Fleur said slowly. She was rather worried about what everyone thought of her at the time in the books. She know realized that she did seem rather full of herself, but she hoped that she could learn how to be humbler.

**As she swept over the threshold toward him, Mrs. Weasley was revealed, bobbing along in her wake, looking rather cross.**

**"There was no need to bring up the tray, I was just about to do it myself!"**

**"Eet was no trouble," said Fleur Delacour, setting the tray across Harry's knees and then swooping to kiss him on each cheek: He felt the places where her mouth had touched him burn. "I 'ave been longing to see 'im. You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter.**

"Does she still?" inquired Fleur.

"Not nearly as much," said _Ginny_. "Gabrielle still enjoys Harry's company, but she's gotten over her fan-girl crush."

**She will be delighted to see you again."**

**"Oh… is she here too?" Harry croaked.**

**"No, no, silly boy," said Fleur with a tinkling laugh, "I mean next summer, when we… but do you not know?"**

"Know what?" asked Fleur, wondering what on earth could be the news.

**Her great blue eyes widened and she looked reproachfully at Mrs. Weasley, who said, "We hadn't got around to telling him yet."**

"Tell me what?" asked little Harry.

"How should I know?" shrugged little Ron.

**Fleur turned back to Harry, swinging her silvery sheet of hair so that it whipped Mrs. Weasley across the face. "Bill and I are going to be married!"**

There was complete and utter silence in the room for exactly seven seconds. Than pandemonium broke out.

"What?" shouted Bill in complete shock, even though he had known the two of them would be seeing each other in the future. He hadn't expected marriage though.

Fleur gasped and her cheeks turned slightly pink. She couldn't do a full out blush because of her Veela blood, but it was clear she was blushing.

"I cannot believe that you'll be getting married!" cried Molly in awe.

"That's a completely different reaction," _Ron_ muttered into _Ginny's_ ear.

"You said it," agreed _Ginny_. "Hopefully it won't take such a drastic event in this world for Mum to realize they belong with each other."

"Drastic event?" asked a worried Remus.

"End of the book," _Harry_ answered quickly, very quickly. His tone showed that he wanted to avoid mentioning whatever event it was.

Remus sighed. It was obvious that yet another chaotic event would take place at the end of the book. He just hoped that it wouldn't end in another death.

"And you managed to hook a Veela," added Charlie cheekily and causing the two embarrassed people to become even more embarrassed.

"I am only a quarter-Veela," said Fleur defiantly as she tried to regain some of her emotion.

"Yeah, but it -"

"Still is awesome!"

"Can I be a flower girl?" asked little Ginny eagerly. Bill gulped nervously.

"Ginny, this is a really long time off," said Arthur quietly. "It's a bit soon to be thinking of who'll be the flower girl."

"Okay, Daddy," said little Ginny quietly.

"My son, my oldest son, a married man," said Molly.

"How's you manage to snag the prettiest girl around?" wondered Sirius.

"Sirius!" admonished Remus.

A red-faced Bill shrugged. This was extremely awkward, partly because he had felt some odd sort of connection to Fleur. He had thought she was really pretty at a very young age. "She's only ten right now," he said as a way of trying to get out of this mess.

"But I am not ten in ze book," Fleur pointed out. "I would be nineteen."

"True," admitted Tonks, "but it's still really cool to find out that you get married and who to." She sighed and added, "I wish I could find out who I marry in these books."

The four time travelers exchanged a quick glance. It would certain be interesting for both parties when Tonks and Remus found out they got married.

"Can we keep reading?" asked Bill, who wanted to dwell on the fact of his matrimony as little as possible.

"Sure," said Remus and he turned the page.

**"Oh," said Harry blankly. He could not help noticing how Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny were all determinedly avoiding one another's gaze.**

**"Why?" asked Molly.**

"You weren't exactly enthralled about the marriage," said _Ginny_ slowly.

**"Wow. Er… congratulations!"**

**She swooped down upon him and kissed him again.**

**"Bill is very busy at ze moment, working very 'ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me 'ere for a few days to get to know 'is family properly. I was so pleased to 'ear you would be coming… zere isn't much to do 'ere, unless you like cooking and chickens! Well… enjoy your breakfast, 'Arry!"**

**With these words she turned gracefully and seemed to float out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.**

**Mrs. Weasley made a noise that sounded like, "tchah!"**

**"Mum hates her," said Ginny quietly.**

**"I do not hate her!" said Mrs. Weasley in a cross whisper.**

**"I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!"**

**"They've known each other a year," said Ron, who looked oddly groggy and was staring at the closed door.**

"That isn't very long, but that doesn't matter if it's true love," Arthur said simply.

**"Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. Its all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center…"**

**"Including you and Dad," said Ginny slyly.**

**"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Whereas Bill and Fleur… well… what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's…"**

"Oi!" cried Fleur and she glared sharply at Molly.

**"A cow," said Ginny, nodding. "But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour… I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."**

"Sorry," winced _Ginny_ at the sudden arrival of the old nickname.

Fleur didn't say anything. She merely looked straight ahead as Remus continued to read.

**"Stop calling her that, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Harry and Hermione laughed. "Well, I'd better get on… Eat your eggs while they're warm, Harry."**

**Looking careworn, she left the room. Ron still seemed slightly punch-drunk; he was shaking his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ears of water.**

**"Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?" Harry asked.**

**"Well, you do," said Ron, "but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then…"**

**"It's pathetic," said Hermione furiously, striding away from Ron as far as she could go and turning to face him with her arms folded once she had reached the wall.**

**"You don't really want her around forever?" Ginny asked Ron incredulously. When he merely shrugged, she said, "Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything."**

**"How's she going to manage that?" asked Harry.**

**"She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family."**

"Thanks, but no," said Tonks.

Charlie shifted awkwardly in his seat. He was getting more and more certain that Tonks didn't love him in the way he loved her and it hurt.

**"Yeah, that'll work," said Ron sarcastically. "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around.**

**I mean, Tonks is okay- looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but…"**

"Oi!" cried Tonks, "I don't do stupid things with my nose and hair!."

"I beg to differ," said Sirius.

"Don't do you dare," said Tonks through gritted teeth, but Sirius ignored her.

"I remember one time when you morphed yourself to look like the Statue of Liberty," he said. "You looked pretty cool all green, though the best part was when you couldn't figure out how to turn your skin back to it's natural shade."

Tonks was glowing bright red in a mixture of embarrassment, anger, and amusement.

"You tried to look the the Statue of Liberty?" asked little Hermione with a laugh. Tonks nodded.

"I'd love to see what you do for Halloween," said little Harry in awe. "You'd be able to do awesome disguises!"

**"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm?" said Ginny.**

**"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" said Hermione from the corner.**

"Were you calling me stupid?" asked Fleur angrily.

"N-No," stuttered _Hermione_. "We all regret this, really. I know words of this sort can't be taken back, but I wish they could be."

**"Fleur's not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament," said Harry.**

**"Not you as well!" said Hermione bitterly.**

**"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says ''Arry,' do you?" asked Ginny scornfully.**

**"No," said Harry, wishing he hadn't spoken, "I was just saying, Phlegm… I mean, Fleur…"**

**"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family," said Ginny. "At least she's a laugh."**

"You're one too, especially with your kids," said _Ron_ to Fleur.

"Wait, so Bill's three children that you mentioned are Fleur and Bill's?" asked Molly. Ginny nodded. "And that Victoire person, is she one of them? Ginny nodded again.  
Molly was about to say something else, but Remus started to read again.

**"She hasn't been much of a laugh lately," said Ron. "Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle."**

**"That's not fair," snapped Hermione. "She still hasn't got over what happened… you know… I mean, he was her cousin!"**

**Harry's heart sank. They had arrived at Sirius. He picked up a fork and began shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth, hoping to deflect any invitation to join in this part of the conversation.**

**"Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other!" said Ron. "Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met…"**

"We had meet several times," said Sirius. "In fact, James, Remus, and I babysat her on a few occasions."

"If a few counts as once, then yes," answered Remus.

"What happened?" wondered Hermione. "Did you three do something stupid?"

Sirius' face turned slightly red.

"Andromoda came home to find Tonks on a sugar high, several door booby-trapped with various spells, and a general mess about the house," Remus explained. "Needless to say, the three of us were never allowed to babysit again."

"Not to mention what Tonks said to you," teased Sirius.

Both Remus and Tonks looked mortified at the memory.

"Don't you dare say anything!" Tonks said firmly. "And I will call you 'Siri' if you do say it."

"All right, all right," Sirius said, backing away. "Do I have your permission, Remus?"

"No, and you never will, unless it actually happens," said Remus sternly. "And it will never happen."

Tonks looked slightly dejected at this statement, but Remus quickly began to read again in the hopes that Sirius would give up trying to embarrass him.

**"That's not the point," said Hermione. "She thinks it was her fault he died!"**

"W-What?" asked Tonks as Sirius looked concernedly in his direction. He had just given Harry a lecture on how it wasn't his fault that he died. He didn't want to have to give Tonks one as well.

Tonks furrowed her eyebrows. It did make some sense. Something was bothering her because her hair was it's natural shade, and it only was that color when she was depressed and couldn't use her Metamorphagas powers.

**"How does she work that one out?" asked Harry, in spite of himself.**

**"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius."**

**"That's stupid," said Ron.**

**"It's survivor's guilt," said Hermione. "I know Lupin's tried to talk her round, but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble with her Metamorphosing!"**

"So that's why your hair was brown," murmured Charlie.

**"With her…?"**

**"She can't change her appearance like she used to," explained Hermione. "I think her powers must have been affected by shock, or something."**

**"I didn't know that could happen," said Harry.**

**"Nor did I," said Hermione, "but I suppose if you're really depressed…"**

"It can only happen with a great emotional upheaval," said Tonks, "so depression, rejection, and most other feelings that have a great emotional change with them can cause a Metamorphmagus to temporarily loose their powers."

**The door opened again and Mrs. Weasley popped her head in. "Ginny," she whispered, "come downstairs and help me with the lunch."**

**"I'm talking to this lot!" said Ginny, outraged.**

**"Now!" said Mrs. Weasley, and withdrew.**

**"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" said Ginny crossly. She swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and pranced across the room with her arms held aloft like a ballerina.**

**"You lot had better come down quickly too," she said as she left.**

**Harry took advantage of the temporary silence to eat more breakfast. Hermione was peering into Fred and George's boxes, though every now and then she cast sideways looks at Harry. Ron, who was now helping himself to Harry's toast, was still gazing dreamily at the door.**

**"What's this?" Hermione asked eventually, holding up what looked like a small telescope.**

"If it's in the twins' room, don't touch it," advised Charlie.

"I figured that out the hard way," muttered _Hermione_.

**"Dunno," said Ron, "but if Fred and George left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful"**

**"Your mum said the shop's going well," said Harry. "Said Fred and George have got a real flair for business."**

**"That's an understatement," said Ron. "They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent."**

**"And what about Percy?" asked Harry; the third-eldest Weasley brother had fallen out with the rest of the family. "Is he talking to your mum and dad again?"**

**"Nope," said Ron.**

Percy's shoulders slumped and he sank deeper into the chair so he wouldn't have to look at anyone. Why was he being an idiot?

"Percy," said Arthur softly. "Son, it's all right. This hasn't happened and I know that you'll try to avoid having it happen."

"I know, Dad," said Percy, "but I still feel like an idiot."

**"But he knows your dad was right all along now about Voldemort being back —"**

**"Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right," said Hermione. "I heard him telling your mum, Ron."**

"That's true, especially with the Weasley stubbornness genes," said _Ron_.

**"Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say," said Ron.**

"Wow, you've changed," said Bill.

"I had personal experience with it," muttered _Ron_, remembering how he had left his friends the next year.

**"He's going to be giving me private lessons this year," said Harry conversationally.**

**Ron choked on his bit of toast, and Hermione gasped.**

**"You kept that quiet!" said Ron.**

**"I only just remembered," said Harry honestly.**

"You forgot about something that awesome?" asked Fred in horror.

"It's been known to happen," _Harry_ shrugged.

**"He told me last night in your broom shed."**

**"Blimey… private lessons with Dumbledore!" said Ron, looking impressed. "I wonder why he's…?"**

**His voice tailed away. Harry saw him and Hermione exchange looks. Harry laid down his knife and fork, his heart beating rather fast considering that all he was doing was sitting in bed. Dumbledore had said to do it… Why not now? He fixed his eyes on his fork, which was gleaming in the sunlight streaming into his lap, and said, "I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the prophecy."**

**Neither Ron nor Hermione spoke. Harry had the impression that both had frozen. He continued, still speaking to his fork, "You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry."**

**"Nobody knows what it said, though," said Hermione quickly. "It got smashed."**

**"Although the Prophet says…" began Ron, but Hermione said, "Shh!"**

**"The Prophet's got it right," said Harry,**

"For the first time ever," said George.

**looking up at them both with a great effort: Hermione seemed frightened and Ron amazed.**

**"That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy. I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said," Harry took a deep breath, "it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort… At least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives."**

"So that's when you two found out," murmured Sirius.

_Ron_ nodded, "Though I wish you had told us the exact words."

"I couldn't bring myself to say the entire thing," _Harry_ answered.

**The three of them gazed at one another in silence for a moment. Then there was a loud bang and Hermione vanished behind a puff of black smoke.**

**"What?" cried a nervous little Hermione.**

"What just happened there?" asked a confused Tonks.

"Boys!" scolded Molly. "What on earth was that telescope?"

The twins shrugged, but leaned forward eagerly to find out what this newest piece of merchandise was.

**"Hermione!" shouted Harry and Ron; the breakfast tray slid to the floor with a crash.**

**Hermione emerged, coughing, out of the smoke, clutching the telescope and sporting a brilliantly purple black eye.**

"And that's why you don't touch anything in the twins' room," Bill concluded.

"Boys!" Molly scolded again.

"Molly, calm down," said Arthur quietly. "This hasn't happened yet and I'm certain that it isn't any more dangerous than that."

"True, but still," Molly muttered. "Please, nothing dangerous."

"There's nothing that could kill anyone or harm someone beyond a simple healing spell," assured _Harry_. "And the shop always makes certain to test the products before selling them."

**"I squeezed it and it… it punched me!" she gasped.**

"Awesome!" cried the twins as they high-fived each other as Molly groaned.

A**nd sure enough, they now saw a tiny fist on a long spring protruding from the end of the telescope.**

**"Don't worry," said Ron, who was plainly trying not to laugh, "Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor injuries…"**

**"Oh well, never mind that now!" said Hermione hastily. "Harry, oh, Harry…"**

**She sat down on the edge of his bed again.**

**"We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry… Obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this… Oh, Harry…" She stared at him, then whispered, "Are you scared?"**

**"Not as much as I was," said Harry. "When I first heard it, I was… but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end…"**

**"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy," said Ron eagerly. "And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time — he must think you've got a chance!"**

**"That's true," said Hermione. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably… powerful countercurses… anti-jinxes…"**

"Or something even more important," _Hermione_ said softly.

"Which is?" asked Percy.

"Something that you'll find out in a bit," said Harry. The Weasleys already knew that Voldemort had made Horcruxes, but they would be in for a surprise when they found out exactly how many had been made.

**Harry did not really listen. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.**

**"… and evasive enchantments generally," concluded Hermione. "Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our OWL results will come?"**

**"Can't be long now, it's been a month," said Ron.**

**"Hang on," said Harry, as another part of last night's conversation came back to him. "I think Dumbledore said our OWL results would be arriving today!"**

**"Today?" shrieked Hermione. "Today? But why didn't you… oh my God… you should have said…"**

**She leapt to her feet.**

**"I'm going to see whether any owls have come…"**

**But when Harry arrived downstairs ten minutes later, fully dressed and carrying his empty breakfast tray, it was to find Hermione sitting at the kitchen table in great agitation, while Mrs. Weasley tried to lessen her resemblance to half a panda.**

**"It just won't budge," Mrs. Weasley was saying anxiously, standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at "Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions." "This has always worked before, I just can't understand it."**

**"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," said Ginny.**

"We wouldn't do that!" cried an outraged Fred.

"We're not that mean," George added.

"Or you'd invent some spell that removes it and only you two know it," said Tonks.

"That's an idea," said George.

"Yeah, thanks, Tonks," added Fred.

**"But it's got to come off!" squeaked Hermione. "I can't go around looking like this forever!"**

**"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," said Mrs. Weasley soothingly.**

**"Bill told me Fred and George are very amusing!" said Fleur, smiling serenely.**

**"Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing," snapped Hermione.**

**She jumped up and started walking round and round the kitchen, twisting her fingers together.**

**"Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?"**

**"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," said Mrs. Weasley patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time…"**

**"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," muttered Hermione feverishly, "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back —"**

"Calm down, Hermione," said Sirius. He wondered how one person could get this nervous about grades, but then, it had been a long time since he'd had to endure Lily and Remus' worries over grades.

"I was a little over excited," a slightly blushing _Hermione_ admitted.

"If you were that crazy over your OWL results, I'd hate to see what your reactions to your NEWT grades were," murmured Remus. He had nearly driven himself out of his mind with wondering about his grades, but _Hermione_ was worse.

**"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" barked Ron. "And when you've got your ten 'Outstanding' OWLs…"**

**"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically. "I know I've failed everything!"**

**"What happens if we fail?" Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.**

**"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."**

**Harry's stomach squirmed. He wished he had eaten less breakfast.**

**"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then…"**

"But then you have major tests two years in a row," said Bill.

"Zat ees true," said Fleur, "but we like eet better zat way. I don't know why."

**Fleur's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Three black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.**

**"They're definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely, jumping up to join Hermione at the window.**

**"And there are three of them," said Harry, hastening to her other side.**

**"One for each of us," said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Oh no… oh no… oh no…"**

_Hermione_ blushed. She had forgotten how eager she had been.

Rose had just finished eating, so _Hermione_ burped her and then held Rose as she fell back asleep.

**She gripped both Harry and Ron tightly around the elbows.**

**The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, three handsome tawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.**

**"Oh no!" squealed Hermione.**

**Mrs. Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All three of them lifted their right legs.**

**Harry moved forward. The letter addressed to him was tied to the leg of the owl in the middle. He untied it with fumbling fingers. To his left, Ron was trying to detach his own results; to his right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.**

"Nervous, much?" asked Charlie.

"You'll be like that soon," Bill answered, remembering that past summer when he had been nearly as worried as Hermione.

N**obody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Harry managed to detach the envelope. He slit it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside.**

Remus looked up as if asking Harry's permission to read the grades. Harry nodded. He didn't care who knew his OWL grades.

**Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

**Pass Grades:**  
**Outstanding (O)**  
**Exceeds Expectations (E)**  
**Acceptable (A)**  
**Fail Grades:**  
**Poor (P)**  
**Dreadful (D)**  
**Troll (T)**

**Harry James Potter has achieved:**

**Astronomy: A**

"Not too bad," said Sirius, "especially considering what the toad did during it."

**Care of Magical Creatures: E**

"Hagrid will be happy with that," grinned Charlie. He was determined to see if there was any way to get Hagrid to teach a couple of years earlier so he'd get that privilege.

**Charms: E**

"Great," said Remus. "Lily would like that grade. She loved Charms."

**Defense Against the Dark Arts: O**

"There wasn't any way you could get a lower grade in that," Sirius said happily.

**Divination: P**

"Who cares?" shrugged Bill.

"You took it," said Molly.

"I just did it because it was an easy class and a good way to get another OWL," defended Bill.

**Herbology: E**

"Cool," said Neville. "I wonder what I got."

"An 'O'," Hermione answered. "A few years ago I heard Minerva mention that they needed to get another grade above 'O' for those who got one-hundred on both the written and practical portions, as well as all the extra credit portions."

"I-I got all th-that?" asked Neville in complete shock.

"Yeah," admitted Harry. "You're the best Herbologist since, well, since I have no clue."

"Wow," Neville said in complete awe.

**History of Magic: D**

"Like anyone needs history," muttered Charlie.

"History is excellent," said little Hermione. "It teaches things about the past and sometimes learning history can help someone to avoid mistakes. You can learn from the mistakes of others."

"If Binn's didn't make History so boring, it might be good," said Bill. "The textbook has interesting parts at any rate."

"A human teacher would make the class more bearable, that's for certain," Harry said. "I loved the History textbook before my first class, but I rarely opened it after Binn's first lecture. He takes all the fun out his history."

"Don't go to the Dark Side, Harry!" moaned Ron.

"The Dark Side doesn't have cookies, even though they claim to have them," said Tonks.

"What?" asked little Harry.

"An old phrase," said Tonks. She then said, in a near perfect imitation of Darth Vador. "Come to the Dark Side. We have cookies."

That brought gales of laughter to those who knew Star Wars, which meant little Hermione, the four time travelers, and Remus.

"Why the funny voice?" asked little Ginny.

"The main villain in Star Wars talks like that," Tonks explained. "He's on the Dark Side, but he's a pretty cool villain."

**Potions: E**

"Wow, great job," said Sirius. "Since it's old Sluggy, you'll also be able to take NEWT potions."

**Transfiguration: E**

"Nice," Bill said in regards to the last grade.

**Harry read the parchment through several times, his breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right: He had always known that he would fail Divination, and he had had no chance of passing History of Magic, given that he had collapsed halfway through the examination, but he had passed everything else! He ran his finger down the grades… he had passed well in Transfiguration and Herbology, he had even exceeded expectations at Potions! And best of all, he had achieved "Outstanding" at Defense Against the Dark Arts!**

"There wasn't any other grade you could get," said _Ginny_.

**He looked around. Hermione had her back to him and her head bent, but Ron was looking delighted.**

**"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" he said happily to Harry. "Here… swap…"**

**Harry glanced down Ron's grades: There were no "Outstandings" there…**

Little Ron sighed in disappointment.

"You can improve your grades," Percy pointed out and little Ron grinned slightly.

"What did you have?" asked Molly.

"I got 'Es' in Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Defense, and Potions, 'As' Charms, Herboloby, and Astronomy, and 'Ds' in Divination and History," answered Ron.

"Those are all decent grades," said Arthur. "You still have many options open, but I'm glad you went with the Auror choice."

"So'm I," admitted Ron. "And it helped that I had had a lot of practice."

**"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"**

**"Well done!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven OWLs, that's more than Fred and George got together!"**

**"Hermione?" said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"**

**"I — not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.**

**"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep… nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"**

**Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.**

**"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"**

"Just like you," sighed Bill, "food for a celebration."

**Harry looked back down at his results. They were as good as he could have hoped for. He felt just one tiny twinge of regret… This was the end of his ambition to become an Auror. He had not secured the required Potions grade. He had known all along that he wouldn't, but he still felt a sinking in his stomach as he looked again at that small black E.**

"It's good enough for Slughorn," said Sirius.

"I didn't know Slughorn was the Potions Professor," Harry said again in defense. "Dumbledore never told me what position had a vacancy."

**It was odd, really, seeing that it had been a Death Eater in disguise who had first told Harry he would make a good Auror, but somehow the idea had taken hold of him, and he couldn't really think of anything else he would like to be. Moreover, it had seemed the right destiny for him since he had heard the prophecy a few weeks ago… Neither can live while the other survives… Wouldn't he be living up to the prophecy, and giving himself the best chance of survival, if he joined those highly trained wizards whose job it was to find and kill Voldemort?**

"That better not have been your main reason for joining the Aurors," said _Ginny_ sternly.

"It wasn't,' said _Harry_ quickly. "It was an idea that crossed my mind."

"And that's the end," said Remus. "Who's next?"

"I think I am," said _Ron_ and he took the book.

* * *

_**A/N Don't worry, you'll eventually find out what Sirius was teasing Remus and Tonks about. It's exactly the same thing as what embarrassed Tonks when she saw Remus at the beginning of Books From the Future 5.**_

_**Also, the whole conversation about when a day should start actually happened to me. My teacher was trying to explain how it makes more sense for a day to begin in dark and end in light.**_

* * *

_**SiriuslyShort209: Thanks for the review.**_

_**idadri: Thanks for the review. I try to update at least once a week, but that doesn't always happen. Most likely the nightmares will start to set in in a little while. I know DH will have some passages that will disturb everyone, and Harry already has left the room a couple of times because those memories still bother him.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked little Ron's outburst and the way those from the future reacted.**_

_**Furionknigh: Thanks for the review.**_

_**Z: If you're still reading this story, I want you to know why I think Harry is a powerful wizard. The only reason he wasn't extremely powerful during his Hogwarts years was because of the Horcrux. I think it hampered his magical ability. If you remember from DH, he couldn't produce a patronus when confronted by the Dementors while wearing the locket. Harry's magic is powerful enough that it is still strong with one Horcrux, but two hampered it too much. I think that once the Horcrux was gone, he could reach his full potential, and became very powerful because of it.**_

_**roxxychik06: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm sorry it's taken so long for this update, but for awhile I simply didn't feel like writing this story. And yes, there will be an afterwards story that's already in the making, though it won't be published until I finish DH.**_

_**(): Thanks for the review. Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out.**_


	7. Draco's Detour

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I've been really busy between school and family visiting. Also, I haven't felt like writing very much lately. **_

_**Okay, I am going to have a hectic week, so again, I might not get much writing. I just heard back from the honors program I've applied to, and I am going in for an interview on March 2, which thankfully is after my presentation. I will get the next chapter done as soon as I can.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. I also do not own the Muppet Christmas Carol or Doctor Who.  
**_

"Oh, boy," _Ron_ sighed as he saw the chapter title. "Here goes."_**  
**_

**Draco's Detour**

"Why is there a chapter about him?" moaned little Ron.

"Is this . . .?" began _Ron_ and _Harry_ nodded.

_Hermione_ quickly buried her face in her hands. "I was such an idiot," she murmured.

"You just didn't know how to . . ." _Harry's_ voice trailed off.

"Deceive yet," supplied _Ron_.

"Huh?" asked Tonks. "How on earth can you communicate without complete sentences?"

"We-"

"Can-"

"Do-"

"It!"

"You're twins," said Bill rather sharply, "the Trio aren't."

"We've just been friends for so long and have gone through so much together," said _Ron_ quietly. "It's almost as if we can read each others minds at times."

"Oh," said Tonks in understanding.

"Can I keep reading?" asked _Ron_. "I've only made it through the title."

"Ron's asking to read?" said _Ginny_ in fake surprise.

_Ron_ glared at her, but started to read the chapter.

**Harry remained within the confines of the Burrow's garden over the next few weeks. He spent most of his days playing two-a-side Quidditch in the Weasleys' orchard (he and Hermione against Ron and Ginny; Hermione was dreadful and Ginny good,**

"Good?" _Ginny _inquired as she raised her eyebrows.

"I meant excellent," _Harry_ said quickly in defense. He glanced over at _Hermione_ to see what her reaction was, but she was simply smiling in amusement.

"Flying isn't a skill I have," she said. "I don't even know why I agreed to play with the three of you."**  
**

** so they were reasonably well matched) and his evenings eating triple helpings of everything Mrs. Weasley put in front of him.**

"And you still are so thin," said Molly with a shake of her head.

"I think it's genetic," said _Harry_. "I eat well, exercise, but I hardly can gain weight."**  
**

**It would have been a happy, peaceful holiday had it not been for the stories of disappearances, odd accidents, even of deaths now appearing almost daily in the Prophet.**

"Just like last time," murmured Sirius.**  
**

** Sometimes Bill and Mr. Weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper. To Mrs. Weasley's displeasure, Harry's sixteenth birthday celebrations were marred by grisly tidings brought to the party by Remus Lupin, who was looking gaunt and grim, his brown hair streaked liberally with gray, his clothes more ragged and patched than ever.**

Remus sighed. He knew that some of his disheveled appearance must be because of Sirius' death.**  
**

**"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," he announced, as Mrs. Weasley passed him a large slice of birthday cake. "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it… well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius's brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far as I can remember."**

Sirius stiffened slightly at the mention of his brother. He angry that his brother had died, but Regulus had at least tried to back out. It got him killed, but he had realized Voldemort was on the wrong side.**  
**

**"Yes, well," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff…"  
**

**"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" asked Bill, who was being plied with wine by Fleur. "The man who ran…"  
**

**"Is the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley?" Harry interrupted, with an unpleasant, hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach. "He used to give me free ice creams. What's happened to him?"  
**

**"Dragged off, by the look of his place."**

"What?" gasped Charlie.**  
**

**"Why?" asked Ron, while Mrs. Weasley pointedly glared at Bill.**

"Why's it always me?" muttered Bill.

"You're the one bringing the news," responded Molly.**  
**

**"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."  
**

**"Talking of Diagon Alley," said Mr. Weasley, "looks like Ollivander's gone too."**

"What?" This time it was Bill speaking.**  
**

**"The wandmaker?" said Ginny, looking startled.**

"What other Ollivander's are there?" asked Tonks.

"I was shocked," _Ginny_ answered in defense.**  
**

**"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."**

"He wouldn't have left voluntarily, would he?" asked Molly nervously.

_Harry_ quickly shook his head. "No, Olivander was kidnapped."

"Was he alright?" asked Remus.

"In the end, yes," said _Harry_. "After the war he basically turned the shop over to his nephew though as he was no longer in the best of health."**  
**

**"But what'll people do for wands?"  
**

**"They'll make do with other makers," said Lupin. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."**

"What would You-Know-Who want with Ollivander?" wondered Arthur, but no one answered.**  
**

**The day after this rather gloomy birthday tea, their letters and booklists arrived from Hogwarts. Harry's included a surprise: he had been made Quidditch Captain.**

"Congratulations!" shouted several people.

"You just better have been nicer than your dad," Sirius said in mock sternness.

"What did Dad do?" asked _Harry_ curiously.

"You know how obsessive Wood was?" questioned Sirius. He had read the previous books, so he knew the entire story.

"Yes," answered _Harry_ slowly, wondering where this was going.

"Well, multiply Wood by about ten, add a bit more, and you've got James," Sirius explained.

_Harry's_ eyes went wide. "I can't believe you survived with him as captain," he finally said. "I felt like Oliver was going to kill me at points, but Dad . . . well, he sounds a lot worse, and I didn't think it was possible."

"Oh, believe me, it is," said Sirius.

**"That gives you equal status with prefects!" cried Hermione happily. "You can use our special bathroom now and everything!"**

"Are bathrooms all you can think of?" asked George.

"They are places to snog," teased Fred. _Hermione_ and _Ron_ both turned bright red. Their younger selves were extremely embarrassed as well.

"We never snogged in a bathroom while at Hogwarts!" _Hermione_ defended.

"Yeah, but you did do it in the middle of a chaotic hallway," retorted _Harry_. "And in front of me, no less."

"Well, you did the same with _Ginny_," said _Ron_.

"You're timing was a bit worse though," added _Harry_. "You've got to have been the only person to snag a girlfriend like that."

"Like what?" asked little Hermione.

"You'll find out in the next book," said a somewhat red _Ron_.

**"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these," said Ron, examining the badge with glee. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my Captain… if you let me back on the team, I suppose, ha ha…"  
**

**"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer now you've got these," sighed Mrs. Weasley, looking down Ron's booklist. "We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I'm not going there without him."  
**

**"Mum, d'you honestly think You-Know-Who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" sniggered Ron.**

"I doubt he likes reading," said Tonks with a grin.

"That really isn't something to joke about," said Remus somberly.

"I know," both _Ron_ and Tonks said.

_Ron_ continued, "I grew up at a peaceful time, so I didn't really understand the fullness of what war was, at least, not entirely. I mean, I got a little bit of experience at the end of fifth year, but it wasn't until sixth year that the entire reality of war struck. When someone you care about is injured or killed in war, it hits you harder. I hardly knew Cedric, so his death didn't affect me as badly as if I had been close to him. It still affected me, but the war didn't hit home until later."

"Who was injured?" asked Bill slowly.

_Ron_ tried to stay calm as he answered his brother. "You'll find out at the end of the book," he promised. _Ron_ knew that the last chapters of this book and the next book would be extremely difficult as they directly affected his family. Yes, the other deaths had been hard to read, but they didn't have anything to do with the Weasley family, but that wouldn't last for long.

"Who was k-killed?" asked Molly as she became rather pale.

_Ron_ winced. "You'll find out," he promised.

Remus looked worried. There already had been deaths in the books and he knew that _Ron_ had cared about Sirius, but who's death could have affected Ron so badly? Was it possible that one of the Weasleys was killed or injured? It certainly seemed like it.**  
**

**"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?" said Mrs. Weasley, firing up at once. "If you think security's a laughing matter you can stay behind and I'll get your things myself…"  
**

**"No, I wanna come, I want to see Fred and George's shop!" said Ron hastily.**

"So do we!" cried the twins.

"And me!" added little Ginny.**  
**

**"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide you're too immature to come with us!" said Mrs. Weasley angrily, snatching up her clock, all nine hands of which were still pointing at "mortal peril," and balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "And that goes for returning to Hogwarts as well!"**

"Would she really have taken you out of Hogwarts?" asked Sirius.

"Nah," said _Ron_ as he shook his head. "Mum's bark is worse than her bite."

**Ron turned to stare incredulously at Harry as his mother hoisted the laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the room.  
**

**"Blimey… you can't even make a joke round here anymore…"**

"Well, you could, just not about safety," said _Hermione_ rather slowly.

"Safety is something you should never joke about, even in a war," Molly said quietly.

"I know that now," _Ron_ said. "And I know how serious safety is."**  
**

**But Ron was careful not to be flippant about Voldemort over the next few days. Saturday dawned without any more outbursts from Mrs. Weasley, though she seemed very tense at breakfast. Bill, who would be staying at home with Fleur (much to Hermione and Ginny's pleasure), passed a full money bag across the table to Harry.  
**

**"Where's mine?" demanded Ron at once, his eyes wide.  
**

**"That's already Harry's, idiot," said Bill. "I got it out of your vault for you, Harry, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get to their gold at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. Two days ago Arkie Philpott had a Probity Probe stuck up his… Well, trust me, this way's easier."**

"I wonder where it was," mused Charlie.

"Charles!"**  
**

**"Thanks, Bill," said Harry, pocketing his gold.  
**

**"E is always so thoughtful," purred Fleur adoringly, stroking Bill's nose. Ginny mimed vomiting into her cereal behind Fleur. Harry choked over his cornflakes, and Ron thumped him on the back.**

"Food is dangerous," grinned Fred.

"Only cause you hide pranks in them," muttered little Ron.

**It was an overcast, murky day. One of the special Ministry of Magic cars, in which Harry had ridden once before, was awaiting them in the front yard when they emerged from the house, pulling on their cloaks.  
**

**"It's good Dad can get us these again," said Ron appreciatively, stretching luxuriously as the car moved smoothly away from the Burrow, Bill and Fleur waving from the kitchen window. He, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were all sitting in roomy comfort in the wide backseat.  
**

**"Don't get used to it, it's only because of Harry," said Mr. Weasley over his shoulder.**

"Well, as _Harry_'s part of the family, we should get used to it," grinned _Ron_.

"_Ron_!" said _Harry_ and he whacked his best friend on the shoulder.

"Ow!"

**He and Mrs. Weasley were in front with the Ministry driver; the front passenger seat had obligingly stretched into what resembled a two-seater sofa. **

**"He's been given top-grade security status. And we'll be joining up with additional security at the Leaky Cauldron too."  
**

**Harry said nothing; he did not much fancy doing his shopping while surrounded by a battalion of Aurors.**

"Not to mention that would be rather conspicuous," added Percy.**  
**

** He had stowed his Invisibility Cloak in his backpack and felt that, if that was good enough for Dumbledore, it ought to be good enough for the Ministry, though now he came to think of it, he was not sure the Ministry knew about his cloak.**

"Do they now?" asked Neville.

"The Auror Department does," said _Harry_. "Invisibility Cloaks are on the recommended equipment list if they can get one. Just a safety precaution."**  
**

**"Here you are, then," said the driver, a surprisingly short while later, speaking for the first time as he slowed in Charing Cross Road and stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron. "I'm to wait for you, any idea how long you'll be?"  
**

**"A couple of hours, I expect," said Mr. Weasley. "Ah, good, he's here!"  
**

**Harry imitated Mr. Weasley and peered through the window; his heart leapt. There were no Aurors waiting outside the inn, but instead the gigantic, black-bearded form of Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, wearing a long beaverskin coat, beaming at the sight of Harry's face and oblivious to the startled stares of passing Muggles.**

"Hagrid!" cried nearly the entire room.**  
**

**"Harry!" he boomed, sweeping Harry into a bone-crushing hug the moment Harry had stepped out of the car. "Buckbeak… Witherwings, I mean… yeh should see him, Harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open air…"  
**

**"I know, jus' like old times, innit? See, the Ministry wanted ter send a bunch o' Aurors, but Dumbledore said I'd do," said Hagrid proudly,**

"Hagrid is big enough to frighten most people," Bill agreed. "But he truly is a softie once you get to know him."**  
**

** throwing out his chest and tucking his thumbs into his pockets. "Lets get goin' then… after yeh, Molly, Arthur…"  
**

**The Leaky Cauldron was, for the first time in Harry's memory, completely empty. Only Tom the landlord, wizened and toothless, remained of the old crowd. He looked up hopefully as they entered, but before he could speak, Hagrid said importantly, "Jus' passin' through today, Tom, sure yeh understand, Hogwarts business, yeh know."**

**Tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses;**

"Sounds like the Leaky Cauldron is being affected," murmured Sirius.**  
**

** Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, and the Weasleys walked through the bar and out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. Hagrid raised his pink umbrella and rapped a certain brick in the wall, which opened at once to form an archway onto a winding cobbled street. They stepped through the entrance and paused, looking around.  
**

**Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. **

"That sounds worse than what it was during the previous war," said Remus in horror.

"It gets worse," _Harry_ said with a shudder as he remembered what the streets had been like when they 'visited' Gringotts.

"How much?" asked a worried Sirius.

_Harry_ shut his eyes for a brief moment as he remembered all of the Muggle-borns who lived on the streets. "A lot," he said quietly. "You-you'll find out."**  
**

**On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street.  
**

**The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:  
AMULETS  
**

**Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi!**

"Nothing works against all of them," said a slightly amused Remus. "Silver works against werewolves, a Patronous against Dementors, and fire against Inferi."**  
**

**A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby.  
**

**"One for your little girl, madam?" he called at Mrs. Weasley as they passed, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?"**

"As if," muttered _Ginny_. "I can hold my own in a duel."**  
**

**"If I were on duty…" said Mr. Weasley, glaring angrily at the amulet seller.  
**

**"Yes, but don't go arresting anyone now, dear, we're in a hurry," said Mrs. Weasley, nervously consulting a list. "I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes, and Ron's showing much too much ankle in his school robes, and you must need new ones too, Harry, you've grown so much… come on, everyone…"  
**

**"Molly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," said Mr. Weasley. "Why don't those three go with Hagrid, and we can go to Flourish and Blotts and get everyone's school-books?"**

"And that way we'll be able to get everything done faster as well," added Arthur.**  
**

**"I don't know," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, clearly torn between a desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack. "Hagrid, do you think —?"  
**

**"Don't fret, they'll be fine with me, Molly," said Hagrid soothingly, waving an airy hand the size of a dustbin lid. Mrs. Weasley did not look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off toward Flourish and Blotts with her husband and Ginny while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid set off for Madam Malkin's.**

"Why didn't I go?" asked little Ginny.

"You had barely grown in the past year and so your old robes still fit," said _Harry_.**  
**

**Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same harried, anxious look as Mrs. Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups, moving intently about their business. Nobody seemed to be shopping alone.  
**

**"Migh' be a bit of a squeeze in there with all of us," said Hagrid, stopping outside Madam Malkin's and bending down to peer through the window. "I'll stand guard outside, all right?"  
**

**So Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.  
**

**"… not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."**

"Three guesses who that is," said Charlie, "and you're an idiot if you need more than one of them."**  
**

**There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognized as that of Madam Malkin, the owner, said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore, it's nothing to do with being a child…"  
**

**"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"**

"Damn," muttered Sirius, though everyone simply heard a beep. "Why does he have to appear?"

"Draco is featured in the title," Bill pointed out.

"It's a rhetorical question," Sirius muttered.

**A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white-blond hair appeared from behind the rack, wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes narrowed.  
**

**"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a **

_Ron_ stopped and stared at the book.

"_Ron_, just read," _Hermione_ said softly, as she had an idea of why _Ron_ stopped reading.

"Are you sure?" he asked concernedly. _Hermione_ nodded.

_Ron_ took a deep breath and continued.**  
**

**Mudblood**

Several dark glares were directed at the book.**  
**

** just walked in," said Draco Malfoy.  
**

**"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand. "And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!" she added hastily, for a glance toward the door had shown her Harry and Ron both standing there with their wands out and pointing at Malfoy. Hermione, who was standing slightly behind them, whispered, "No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it."**

"It's worth it to me," said _Ron_ firmly.**  
**

**"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy.  
**

**"Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."**

"Wonder if we should tell him that it was the twins' telescope," mused _Harry_.

"I love to see his face if you did," laughed _Ginny._**  
**

**"That's quite enough!" said Madam Malkin sharply, looking over her shoulder for support. "Madam, please!"  
**

**Narcissa Malfoy strolled out from behind the clothes rack.  
**

**"Put those away," she said coldly to Harry and Ron. "If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."**

"He didn't attack!" cried little Ginny angrily.

"It's Cissy," Sirius said simply. "She's a Black and a Malfoy. They rarely play fair."**  
**

**"Really?" said Harry, taking a step forward and gazing into the smoothly arrogant face that, for all its pallor, still resembled her sister's. He was as tall as she was now. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"  
**

**Madam Malkin squealed and clutched at her heart.  
**

**"Really, you shouldn't accuse… dangerous thing to say… wands away, please!"  
**

**But Harry did not lower his wand. Narcissa Malfoy smiled unpleasantly.  
**

**"I see that being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."  
**

**Harry looked mockingly all around the shop. "Wow… look at that… he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"**

"There is a time and a place for that, _Harry_," said Sirius seriously, "but that isn't the time."

"Why are you never your sarcastic self around us?" asked _Hermione_.

_Harry_ shrugged, but added, "Though I'd like to point out you were there for this incident."**  
**

**Malfoy made an angry movement toward Harry, but stumbled over his overlong robe. Ron laughed loudly.  
**

**"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!" Malfoy snarled.  
**

**"It's all right, Draco," said Narcissa, restraining him with her thin white fingers upon his shoulder. "I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius."**

"How dare she," growled Remus.

"Moony," said Sirius and hearing his friend's voice calmed Remus down.**  
**

**Harry raised his wand higher.  
**

**"Harry, no!" moaned Hermione, grabbing his arm and attempting to push it down by his side. "Think… You mustn't… You'll be in such trouble…"  
**

**Madam Malkin dithered for a moment on the spot, then seemed to decide to act as though nothing was happening in the hope that it wouldn't. She bent toward Malfoy, who was still glaring at Harry.  
**

**"I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just…"  
**

**"Ouch!" bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away. "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother, I don't think I want these anymore."**

"And that was the first clue," muttered _Harry_ in a whisper to _Ron_ and _Hermione_.

"We really should've listened to you," muttered _Ron_. "Would've saved us a hell of a lot of trouble."

"I am a walking magnet for trouble," _Harry_ admitted, "so it would've found us one way or another."

"Now what kind of trouble are you talking about?" asked Sirius with a slight groan. "And don't say 'You'll see'."

"What else can I say?" asked _Harry_. "Don't worry, you'll eventually find out."

"That's what worries me," Sirius muttered.**  
**

**He pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor at Madam Malkin's feet.  
**

**"You're right, Draco," said Narcissa, with a contemptuous glance at Hermione, "now I know the kind of scum that shops here… We'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."**

**And with that, the pair of them strode out of the shop, Malfoy taking care to bang as hard as he could into Ron on the way out.**

**"Well, really?" said Madam Malkin, snatching up the fallen robes and moving the tip of her wand over them like a vacuum cleaner, so that it removed all the dust.  
**

**She was distracted all through the fitting of Ron's and Harry's new robes, tried to sell Hermione wizard's dress robes instead of witch's, and when she finally bowed them out of the shop it was with an air of being glad to see the back of them.**

"Wow, you must've really got her upset," commented Remus.**  
**

**"Got ev'rything?" asked Hagrid brightly when they reappeared at his side.  
**

**"Just about," said Harry. "Did you see the Malfoys?"  
**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, unconcerned. "Bu they wouldn' dare make trouble in the middle o' Diagon Alley, Harry. Don' worry about them."**

"It's the Malfoys," said Sirius. "They make trouble wherever they go."**  
**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Hagrid of this comfortable notion, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.  
**

**"Everyone all right?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Got your robes? Right then, we can pop in at the Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's… stick close, now…"  
**

**Neither Harry nor Ron bought any ingredients at the Apothecary, seeing that they were no longer studying Potions, **

"But Slughorn . . ." began Sirius.

"Sirius, we've already told you, we didn't know Slughorn would be the Potions professor," said an exasperated _Harry_.**  
**

**but both bought large boxes of owl nuts for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Then, with Mrs. Weasley checking her watch every minute or so, they headed farther along the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop run by Fred and George.  
**

**"We really haven't got too long," Mrs. Weasley said. "So we'll just have a quick look around and then back to the car. We must be close, that's number ninety-two… ninety-four…"  
**

**"Whoa," said Ron, stopping in his tracks.  
**

**Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop Fronts around them, Fred and George's windows hit the eye like a firework display.**

"What did they do?" groaned Molly, though she was the only one to be looking worried. Everyone else was very excited to see what kind of decorating skills the twins had.**  
**

**Casual passersby were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked; Harry's eyes began to water just looking at it.**

"Awesome!" cried the twins.

"Just wait, there's more," said _Ron_.**  
**

** The right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:  
**

**WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT  
**

**YOU-KNOW-WHO?  
**

**YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT  
**

**U-NO-POO —**

"What?" shouted Molly. "Did they have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"Relax, Mum," said _Ron_. "Yes they did, but you know the twins. They do dangerous things even if they know it. Nothing happened because of the sign." Stuff had happened to the twins, but it was because they were fighting with the Order, not because of a fun sign they had on their storefront.**  
**

**THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION  
**

**THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!  
**

**Harry started to laugh. **

As did the majority of those in the room.**  
**

**He hear a weak sort of moan beside him and looked around to see Mrs. Weasley gazing, dumbfounded, at the poster. Her lips moved silently, mouthing the name "U-No-Poo."  
**

**"They'll be murdered in their beds!" she whispered.**

"If any death eaters had tried to get into WWW, they would've been tarred and feathered," added _Ginny_. "George showed me the booby trap plan they had set up."

"It worked too," _Ron_ added, "though George also set it up so only Death Eaters could get the damage, so the store was still clean, at least clean of tar and feathers."

"Just like what the Americans did to Loyalists during their revolution," grinned little Hermione.**  
**

**"No they won't!" said Ron, who, like Harry, was laughing. "This is brilliant!"  
**

**And he and Harry led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; Harry could not get near the shelves. He stared around, looking up at the boxes piled to the ceiling: Here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Harry noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of briefs when waved, the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck, and boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd, and Harry pushed his way toward the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds was watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: Reusable hangman - spell it or he'll swing!**

"That's an interesting take," mused little Hermione. "It would make hangman even more fun."

"What's hangman?" asked little Ron.

"It's a game in which you have to guess the word before the entire person is drawn," said little Harry. "You have to be good at spelling. Sometimes we'd play it in my spelling class."

"It involves learning?" asked little Ron in horror. The twins too were shocked at the very idea of an educational game sold in their joke shop.

"It's a fun way to learn," said an exasperated little Hermione. "You don't even realize it."

"You might not . . ." began Fred.

"But we would," George finished.

"Boys," muttered little Hermione with a shake of her head.**  
**

**"'Patented Daydream Charms…'"  
**

**Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.  
**

**"'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens.' "You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry, "that really is extraordinary magic!"  
**

**"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for free."**

"Did you get one?" asked George.

"Yes," _Hermione_ answered, "but I never used it."

"What's the point of having it then?" asked Tonks.

_Hermione_ shrugged, but inside she was saying she mainly kept it since Fred gave it to her and that was the only thing she had ever gotten directly from Fred.**  
**

**A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.  
**

**"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"  
**

**"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully.  
**

**"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," said Fred. "Here —"  
**

**He pulled a tub out of his pocket and handed it to her; she unscrewed it gingerly to reveal a thick yellow paste.  
**

**"Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," said Fred. "We had to find a decent bruise remover. We're testing most of our products on ourselves."**

"Boys!" scolded Molly.

"Molly, calm down," Arthur said calmly. "I'm certain the twins are careful."

"Normally it's fine except when _Harry_ or me are randomly made guinea pigs," muttered _Ron_.

"Why do we use you?" wondered Fred.

"Mostly just to annoy," _Ron_ answered quickly.

**Hermione looked nervous. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked.  
**

**"Course it is," said Fred bracingly. "Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour."  
**

**Harry left Hermione dabbing her black eye with paste and followed Fred toward the back of the shop, where he saw a stand of card and rope tricks.  
**

**"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks **

Little Harry flinched slightly at the wording, but only Sirius noticed and he gently rubbed little Harry's shoulder.**  
**

**like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties… Oh, here's George…"  
**

**Fred's twin shook Harry's hand energetically.**

"Fred's twin?" asked George with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," _Harry_ said quickly.**  
**

**"Giving him the tour? Come through the back, Harry, that's where we're making the real money… pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than Galleons!"**

"I sense something foreboding about that," mused Percy.

"They had some weird spell on the door so if you tried to swipe something it would turn your hands bright red," said _Ginny_.

"That takes a whole new meaning to the phrase 'being caught red-handed'," said Tonks.

"I think that's what they were going for," added _Harry_. "It was quite amusing the one time I saw it happen."

"How long do the marks stay?" asked Molly.

"Until the person brings the item back and pays for it," said _Ron_. He knew most of the ins and outs of the shop since he had worked there for some time after the battle.**  
**

** he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labeled EDIBLE DARK MARKS —THEY'LL MAKE ANYONE SICK! George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and Harry saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.  
**

**"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"  
**

**"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "'Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."**

"And now, it's a requirement do know basic defense to work in the Ministry," said _Harry_. "And I'm fairly strict with the Aurors as well."

"Harry, you put them through boot camp," said _Ginny_.

"Boot camp?" asked Percy.

"Boot camp is what trainees in a Muggle army go through prior to heading off to the field or wherever they're assigned," explained _Hermione_. "It's very rigorous."**  
**

**"That's right… Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"**

"Wow, so you can do useful things with those minds," teased Charlie.

"OI!"**  
**

**"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"  
**

**"… I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes…"**

"I'm certain they saved several lives," said Arthur calmly.

**"And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defense Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner," continued George enthusiastically. "This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape."**

The trio and _Ginny_ exchanged a dark look. The powder was one of the reasons it was so easy for Draco to get the Death Eaters into the castle.

"That might be good for getting away from pranks," said Sirius, "but you have to be careful about who buys it. Someone could very easily use it for evil."**  
**

**"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."  
**

**"Handy," said Harry, impressed.**

"Those saved our skins," said _Harry_. "Remember the chaos they caused?"

"Yeah," said _Ron_, "everyone was freaking out, weren't they?"

"When did you have to use one?" questioned Molly.

"Next book," _Harry_ said quickly.

**"Here," said George, catching a couple and throwing them to Harry.  
**

**A young witch with short blonde hair poked her head around the curtain; Harry saw that she too was wearing magenta staff robes.  
**

**"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," she said.**

_Ginny_ looked over at _Harry_, who groaned, but nodded. Ginny grinned and began to sing a strange song to an unknown tune. The only ones who knew the tune were the time travelers because it came from the Muppet Christmas Carol and the Song was Marley and Marley.**  
**

"We're Weasley and Weasley,  
Pranksters and fun.  
We always are very crazy,  
And oftentimes insane  
We specialize in playing pranks**,  
**Spreading much chaos.  
And in dark times we cheered you up,  
Helping you with the loss!

We're Weasley and Weasley,  
With very red, red hair.  
If you would wish to know our plans  
Know it will never happen.  
In our flat, we plan and plan  
Working on our next prank  
And when we're done, we shout 'Hooray'  
And pick a next victim.

We're Weasley and Weasley! Yaaaaaaaaa  
We're Weasley and Weasley! Yaaaaaaaaa

Pranked, Hogwarts! You're pranked for all time!  
You'll never escape from pranksters who don't have a bedtime  
You are old, but pranksters are always new  
So you may try, but it won't work, for nothing you can do.

We're Weasley and Weasley! Yaaaaaaaaa  
We're Weasley and Weasley! Yaaaaaaaaa  
We're Weasley and Weasley! Yaaaaaaaaa  
Pranks!

There was a moment of silence where everyone was staring at Ginny in complete confusion.

"What the heck was that?" asked Bill at last.

"The theme song for WWW," said _Ron_. "They took the tune from a film that came out in '92."

"There's a theme song?" cried Fred and George together.

"Yeah," _Ron_ said with a laugh. "I'm not exactly certain when the original idea came about, but by fall of 1998 it was finished." Ron smiled softly at the memory. George had been trying to figure out a way to let everyone know that the shop was back in business as it had been closed since mid-April. It had been Percy of all people to suggest a song and Lee had mentioned making new words to a tune. In the end, Hermione had shown George the 'Marley and Marley' song and between George and Ron, they had written a song. It had been very difficult to write, mainly because George was the sole owner of the shop, but he was determined to honour Fred in the song. The 'Weasley and Weasley' still fit because Ron had helped George with the shop, but nearly everyone knew that it was about the twins.

"Ron? Hello," said _Harry_, waving a hand in Ron's face."

"Wha-?" asked _Ron_ as he quickly came back to reality.

"You were kinda spaced out," said _Harry_. "Something wrong?"

"No," _Ron_ answered. "Just thinking about when George wrote the theme song."

"Oh," said _Harry_ quietly.

**Harry found it very odd to hear Fred and George called "Mr. Weasley," but they took it in their stride.**

"Aren't you usually called that at school?" asked Neville.

"Yes, but in this instance it has to do with them being in authority," _Hermione_ pointed out.**  
**

**"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George promptly. "Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."  
**

**"I can't do that!" said Harry, who had already pulled out his money bag to pay for the Decoy Detonators.  
**

**"You don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away Harry's gold.  
**

**"But…"  
**

**"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly "Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask."**

"Great business that way," grinned Fred and he continued in an announcer's tone. "Come one, come all to the prank shop where the Boy-Who-Lived shops!"

"I think that needs a bit of work," said Tonks.

"Let the Nargles do their work, and it will help you," Luna said calmly.

"And don't call me that," muttered little Harry. He was thankful that no one was calling him that in the room, but when it was mentioned in the book it was very annoying.

"Sorry, Harry," Fred said quickly. "It was a joke, I wouldn't actually call you that."**  
**

**George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers, and Fred led Harry back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny still poring over the Patented Daydream Charms.  
**

**"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked Fred. "Follow me, ladies…"  
**

**Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione and Ginny both hung back, looking wary.  
**

**"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."**

"You sell love potions?" asked Molly. "Do you two have any idea how dangerous they are?"

"You're one to talk," muttered _Ginny_.

"I made one, not bought one," said Molly. "There's a difference."

"Relax, Mum," said _Ron_. "The worst thing that ever happens with one of those love potions is a guy acting like a complete idiot."

"It sounds like you might have experience with that," grinned Bill.

"I try to forget it," muttered _Ron_, and that was as good as a yes for Bill.

"Will we be reading about this incident?" inquired Charlie.

"Yes," answered _Harry_ with a grin. The actual love potion incident was quite amusing. The aftermath was what had been dangerous.**  
**

**Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.  
**

**"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question…"  
**

**"… and the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, becoming suddenly stern, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've…"**

"I don't!" spluttered little Ginny.**  
**

**"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly, leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?"  
**

**"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"  
**

**"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. **

"Does he have five heads?" asked Fred.

"Fred!" shouted little Ginny angrily.**  
**

**What are those?"**

**She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks.  
**

**"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"  
**

**"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny, putting a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're really cute!"  
**

**"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"**

"Perhaps a bit fast, but she found the right person," said Molly.

**Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs. Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.**

"You should see it now," said _Harry_. "She really can give you a run for your money, Mum."**  
**

**"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you'' she added angrily to Ron, who had just appeared at George's elbow, laden with merchandise, "not to tell tales about me to these two!"**

"How'd you know it was me?" asked _Ron_.

"I didn't, but now I do," said _Ginny_.

"Blast," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

**"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut," said Fred, examining the many boxes in Ron's arms. "Cough up."  
**

**"I'm your brother!"  
**

**"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."**

"Fred," sighed _Ginny_ with a shake of her head.

"Do they have such a thing as family discount?" asked Bill.

"No," answered _Ginny_, "but George'll probably be giving his kids some free stuff. Fred Jr. is already trying to prank and he's a month younger than James is."

"James will do something soon," said _Harry_. "I mean, he's named after two Marauders and is the grandson of one of those Marauders."

"Not to mention, he has a Marauder's child for a god-brother," added _Ron_.

"_Ronald_!" _Hermione_ scolded.

"What?" asked _Ron_. He looked up and saw that Remus and Sirius were looking at him with confused expressions on their faces.

"There's another child of a Marauder?" asked Sirius eagerly. "Who?"

"This, this is impossible," said Remus quickly. "Pettigrew is no longer a Marauder, Sirius is well, d-dead, and I'm a werewolf. It's impossible for their to be another Marauder child."

"_Ron_," groaned _Harry_. He was silent for a brief moment, then said, "You'll find out."

Remus eyed _Harry_ suspiciously, but didn't say anything. Inside, though, his mind was working like crazy. Harry was an only child, Pettigrew no longer counted as a Marauder, so neither James nor Pettigrew could have the child of a Marauder. That left Sirius and him. Sirius couldn't have a kid, could he? Leastways, he'd've heard about it if it had happened. The only way this could be possible would be if Sirius had somehow managed to get together with Hestia again, but he doubted this. That left him and he knew that he could never have a child for risk of passing on the lycanthropy. So, how on earth could there be another Marauder child?

**"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"  
**

**"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."  
**

**Ron dropped several boxes, swore, and made a rude hand gesture at Fred that was unfortunately spotted by Mrs. Weasley, who had chosen that moment to appear.  
**

**"If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together," she said sharply.  
**

**"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny at once.**

"Arnold," _Ginny_ said softly.

"You named your Pygmy Puff 'Arnold'?" asked George.

"Yeah," said _Ginny_ firmly.

"I like that name," little Ginny said quietly.**  
**

**"A what?" said Mrs. Weasley warily.  
**

**"Look, they're so sweet…"  
**

**Mrs. Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.  
**

**"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Harry, frowning.**

_Harry_ grinned mischievously and quickly transfigured his face to look like a gas mask. "Are you my Mummy?" he randomly asked.

Everyone was looking confused and a little uncomfortable, that is, everyone except for the time travelers who were laughing hard.

"What's going on?" asked Sirius confusedly.

"Doctor Who," answered _Ron_. "The show restarted this past year and in one episode there were these aliens in gas masks walking around asking 'Are you my Mummy?'"

"They weren't aliens, _Ron_," corrected _Hermione_. "They were normal people, but the nanogenes thought everyone had gas masks as part of their body."

"Oh," said Sirius, though he looked even more confused.

"That sounds bizarre," said Remus.

"It is slightly strange," _Hermione_ admitted, "but it is very interesting."

"That's the TV show with the Police Telephone Box," commented Tonks. "I love that show. Has it been going the entire time?"

"No," answered _Harry_, who looked normal once again, "it took a break for a few years, and just came back this year. But let's get back to the story."

"Okay," said a slightly disappointed Tonks, who clearly wanted to see what the Doctor's current adventures consisted of.**  
**

**"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Ron.  
**

**"Why, though?" said Hermione.  
**

**Harry said nothing; he was thinking too hard. Narcissa Malfoy would not have let her precious son out of her sight willingly; Malfoy must have made a real effort to free himself from her clutches.  
**

**Harry, knowing and loathing Malfoy, was sure the reason could not be innocent.**

"Malfoy's are never innocent," said Sirius darkly.**  
**

**He glanced around. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs. Mr. Weasley was delightedly examining a pack of Muggle marked playing cards. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking up and down the street.  
**

**"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.  
**

**"Oh — I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly toward Mrs. Weasley.  
**

**"Come on," said Ron.  
**

**She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the cloak with Harry and Ron. Nobody noticed them vanish;**

"I did," _Ginny_ admitted, "but I had a feeling you wouldn't want anyone to know."**  
**

**they were all too interested in Fred and George's products. Harry, Ron, and Hermione squeezed their way out of the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street, Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.  
**

**"He was going in that direction," murmured Harry as quietly as possible, so that the humming Hagrid would not hear them. "C'mon."  
**

**They scurried along, peering left and right, through shop windows and doors, until Hermione pointed ahead.  
**

**"That's him, isn't it?" she whispered. "Turning left?"**

"Uh oh," said _Harry _quietly.

"Huh?" asked Bill.

"In the Muggle world 'turn left' sometimes can have something to do with foreboding," _Harry_ explained.**  
**

**"Big surprise," whispered Ron.  
**

**For Malfoy had glanced around, then slid into Knockturn Alley and out of sight.  
**

**"Quick, or we'll lose him," said Harry, speeding up.  
**

**"Our feet'll be seen!" said Hermione anxiously, as the cloak flapped a little around their ankles; it was much more difficult hiding all three of them under the cloak nowadays.**

"You are sixteen," Sirius pointed out.**  
**

**"It doesn't matter," said Harry impatiently. "Just hurry!"  
**

**But Knockturn Alley, the side street devoted to the Dark Arts, looked completely deserted. They peered into windows as they passed, but none of the shops seemed to have any customers at all. Harry supposed it was a bit of a giveaway in these dangerous and suspicious times to buy Dark artifacts — or at least, to be seen buying them.  
**

**Hermione gave his arm a hard pinch.  
**

**"Ouch!"  
**

**"Shh! Look! He's in there!" she breathed in Harry's ear.  
**

**They had drawn level with the only shop in Knockturn Alley that Harry had ever visited, Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. **

"When did you visit there?" asked Luna. "You're too sweet of a person to go there."

"Flooing accident right before second year," muttered _Harry_.

"And he still is horrible at Flooing," added _Ron_ with a wide grin.

"I am not!" retorted _Harry_.

"Harry, an elephant would be more graceful at getting out of the Floo network," said _Ginny_. "Even Victoire and Teddy are better at Flooing than you."

"And they are how old?" asked Arthur.

"Victorie is five-and-a-half and Teddy is seven-and-a-half," answered _Ginny_.**  
**

**There in the midst of the cases full of skulls and old bottles stood Draco Malfoy with his back to them, just visible beyond the very same large black cabinet in which Harry had once hidden to avoid Malfoy and his father. Judging by the movements of Malfoy's hands, he was talking animatedly. The proprietor of the shop, Mr. Borgin, an oily-haired, stooping man, stood facing Malfoy. He was wearing a curious expression of mingled resentment and fear.  
**

**"If only we could hear what they're saying!" said Hermione.  
**

**"We can!" said Ron excitedly. "Hang on, damn."  
**

**He dropped a couple more of the boxes he was still clutching as he fumbled with the largest.  
**

**"Extendable Ears, look!"**

"How'd you get those out of the shop?" asked Charlie.

"I told George awhile back and he thinks it had to do with the cloak," explained _Ron_.

"But it's just an Invisibility Cloak," Percy pointed out. "It shouldn't be able to get around security spells like that."

"Oh, just wait and see," said _Harry_ with a grin. They had figured out that his Invisibility Cloak defied most rules of Invisibility Cloaks since it was a Hallow.**  
**

**"Fantastic!" said Hermione, as Ron unraveled the long, flesh-colored strings and began to feed them toward the bottom of the door. "Oh, I hope the door isn't Imperturbable…"**

**"No!" said Ron gleefully. "Listen!"  
**

**They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the strings, through which Malfoy's voice could be heard loud and clear, as though a radio had been turned on.  
**

**"… you know how to fix it?"  
**

**"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"  
**

**"I can't," said Malfoy. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."  
**

**Harry saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.  
**

**"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."  
**

**"No?" said Malfoy, and Harry knew, just by his tone, that Malfoy was sneering."Perhaps this will make you more confident."  
**

**He moved toward Borgin and was blocked from view by the cabinet.  
**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione shuffled sideways to try and keep him in sight, but all they could see was Borgin, looking very frightened.**

"Do you think he showed . . ." asked _Ron_ slowly.

"Yeah, probably," _Harry_ answered confidently.

"I really want to learn how you guys do that," said Remus. "Sirius, James, and I never could do that. Well, Sirius and James sometimes could while planning a prank, but that's it."

"Sticking together through tough times is I think what did it," said _Hermione_.**  
**

**"Tell anyone," said Maifoy, "and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback?**

Remus growled under his breath.**  
**

** He's a family friend.**

"What?" asked a shocked Tonks.

"Think of any bad person and surely their either friends or their families have been friends with the Malfoys," said Sirius.**  
**

** He'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."  
**

**"There will be no need for…"  
**

**"I'll decide that," said Malfoy. "Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep that one safe, I'll need it."  
**

**"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"  
**

**"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid, little man, how would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."**

"Sell what?" inquired Tonks.

**"Of course not… sir."  
**

**Borgin made a bow as deep as the one Harry had once seen him give Lucius Malfoy.  
**

**"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?"  
**

**"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin, bowing again.  
**

**Next moment, the bell over the door tinkled loudly as Malfoy stalked out of the shop looking very pleased with himself. He passed so close to Harry, Ron, and Hermione that they felt the cloak flutter around their knees again. Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished; he looked worried.  
**

**"What was that about?" whispered Ron, reeling in the Extendable Ears.  
**

**"Dunno," said Harry, thinking hard. "He wants something mended… and he wants to reserve something in there… Could you see what he pointed at when he said 'that one'?"  
**

**"No, he was behind that cabinet…"**

"Pointing at the cabinet more like it," muttered Harry.

"Wait, is this cabinet the Vanishing Cabinet from the second book?" asked Bill.

No one answered.

**"You two stay here," whispered Hermione.  
**

**"What are you…?"  
**

**But Hermione had already ducked out from under the cloak. She checked her hair in the reflection in the glass, then marched into the shop, setting the bell tinkling again. Ron hastily fed the Extendable Ears back under the door and passed one of the strings to Harry.  
**

**"Hello, horrible morning, isn't it?" Hermione said brightly to Borgin, who did not answer, but cast her a suspicious look. Humming cheerily, Hermione strolled through the jumble of objects on display.  
**

**"Is this necklace for sale?" she asked, pausing beside a glass-fronted case.**

"Why is it that we often see the object that causes trouble before it causes trouble?" asked _Hermione_.

"What on earth did you just say?" asked an extremely confused _Ron_.

"Think of it," started Hermione. "Harry saw the package which contained the Philosopher's Stone, we saw the diary before we knew it was a Horcrux, the Grim, a.k.a Sirius, in third year, the locket, the vanishing cabinet and the necklace this year . . ."

"You're right," said _Harry_. "I guess to prepare us somewhat."

"But we always do better when we're improvising, rather than working off of a plan," said _Hermione_.

"That's because Harry's plans usually suck," said _Ron_.

"Oi!"

"Before you start reading again, what is all this about a locket, necklace, and vanishing cabinet?" asked Remus.

"You'll find out," said the four time travelers together.**  
**

**"If you've got one and a half thousand Galleons," said Mr. Borgin coldly.  
**

**"Oh… er… no, I haven't got quite that much," said Hermione, walking on. "And… what about this lovely… um… skull?"  
**

**"Sixteen Galleons."  
**

**"So it's for sale, then? It isn't being… kept for anyone?"  
**

**Mr. Borgin squinted at her. Harry had the nasty feeling he knew exactly what Hermione was up to. Apparently Hermione felt she had been rumbled too because she suddenly threw caution to the winds.**

**"The thing is, that… er… boy who was in here just now, Draco Malfoy, well, he's a friend of mine,**

"What did you just say?" asked a horrified Sirius.

"I know, it's bad and I wish I hadn't said that," said _Hermione_.**  
**

** and I want to get him a birthday present, but if he's already reserved anything, I obviously don't want to get him the same thing, so… um…"  
**

**It was a pretty lame story in Harry's opinion, and apparently Borgin thought so too.  
**

**"Out," he said sharply. "Get out!"  
**

**Hermione did not wait to be asked twice, but hurried to the door with Borgin at her heels. As the bell tinkled again, Borgin slammed the door behind her and put up the closed sign.  
**

**"Ah well," said Ron, throwing the cloak back over Hermione. "Worth a try, but you were a bit obvious…"  
**

**"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mystery!" she snapped.  
**

**Ron and Hermione bickered all the way back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where they were forced to stop so that they could dodge undetected around a very anxious-looking Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid, who had clearly noticed their absence. Once in the shop, Harry whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, hid it in his bag, and joined in with the other two when they insisted, in answer to Mrs. Weasleys accusations, that they had been in the back room all along, and that she could not have looked properly.**

"And that's it," said _Ron_. He was just about to hand the book to Sirius, when his stomach growled.

"Can we have lunch, Mum?" asked little Ginny. "I'm hungry."

Molly looked over at the clock and realized that it was nearly one. "Yes," she said. "I'll go start warming up some stew. It should be ready in a few minutes."

With that, Molly got up and went into the kitchen.

* * *

_** Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review. Yep, you got the general idea of it.  
**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I know the feeling and I get it just about every class. Thanks for the well-wishes.**_

_**anonymous: Thanks for the review. It isn't rude to ask me to update faster, but it won't always guarantee a fast update. School is really busy, but I write as often as I can.**_

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're excited about that.**_

_**SiriuslyShort309: Thanks for the review. Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out.**_

**_Chloe Smith: Thanks for the review. I tried to get this chapter out by then, but I wasn't able to. Anyway, regard this as a late birthday present. :)_  
**


	8. The Slug Club

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**Okay, so both my presentation and interview are finished, so hopefully I'll have a bit more time to write. . Now I have term papers to work on! Whoho! (that was sarcastic if you didn't catch it). I also have several things due next week, so I once again do not know how much writing time I'll have. Anyway, school is still insane, but I am going to plow through this book.**_

_**I got into the honors program! My letter came in the mail Wednesday. College feels all the more real since I now know exactly where I'll be going. August 20th is move-in day.  
**_

_**Sorry this has taken so long, but this chapter just seemed really slow, not to mention I didn't really feel like writing at points.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's.  
**_

The Weasleys and everyone else were wrapping up lunch when Dumbledore arrived on the doorstep.

"Where have you been?" asked a somewhat testy Sirius.

"Sirius, I am a Headmaster and have duties to attend to at Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained quite calmly. "Now, will someone kindly tell me what has occurred in the book so far?"

Instead of getting an answer, Dumbledore suddenly found the book thrust into his hands. "It's too confusing to explain," said _Harry_, "and you'll probably get it done faster if you read rather than have someone explain."

Dumbledore nodded and took the book. He went into the sitting room and quickly read the first six chapters while the children got their excess energy out and the kitchen was cleaned up. James went down for a nap during this time as well and was still asleep when the group began to read again.

About an hour later, they all gathered in the sitting room once again to continue reading.

Sirius took the book and groaned when he saw the chapter title. "Please don't tell me you become a member."

"I avoided it as long as I could," _Harry_ promised. "I only went to two of the gatherings."

"Are you talking about the Slug Club?" asked Arthur.

"What's the Slug Club?" asked Bill.

"It's the group of students that Slughorn thought had great potential," Remus answered. "Or had famous relatives."

"Oh, were you in it?" asked Percy.

"Thank, heavens, no," said Remus. "I exploded a cauldron the first day and it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes into class. If I had had any chances of getting into the Slug Club, they disappeared among the flames. James was and he complained about the parties, and when James complains about a party, you know it was bad."

"I knew you said that you were bad at Potions, but I didn't realize you were that bad," said _Harry_ in amusement.

"Don't worry," said Remus with a laugh. "Compared to me Neville would be a prodigy when it comes to Potions."

"Wow," was all _Harry_ could say. "I'm surprised you weren't banned from Potions."

"After I managed to break the ceiling, Slughorn always made me brew the potion outside," said Remus. "I set a few trees on fire, but nothing more than that."

"The sooner we get this chapter done, the sooner Harry arrives at Hogwarts," Sirius said. "I also want to get over reading my chapter as quickly as possible." With that, he began to read.**  
**

**The Slug Club**

"Even the name makes it seem like it's gonna be bad," said Fred.

"The chapter or the club?" asked Tonks.

"Both of course!" said George.**  
**

**Harry spent a lot of the last week of the holidays pondering the meaning of Malfoy's behavior in Knockturn Alley. What disturbed him most was the satisfied look on Malfoy's face as he had left the shop. Nothing that made Malfoy look that happy could be good news. **

**To his slight annoyance, however, neither Ron nor Hermione seemed quite as curious about Malfoy's activities as he was; or at least, they seemed to get bored of discussing it after a few days.**

"And yet you two can argue about the same thing for days," muttered _Ginny_.

"No we don't!" defended _Ron_.

"I clearly remember listening to you two for about a week trying to figure out how to decorate Rose's bedroom," said _Harry_ with a laugh.

"That was important," defended _Hermione_. "Wasn't it, Rosie?"

"She's only a few days old," said _Ron_. "She can't answer you. And besides, it doesn't matter what the bedroom looks like until she's old enough to look around."

"If I remember correctly, _Ron_, you wanted to paint the bedroom Chudley Cannon Orange! If there's any colour that's inappropriate for a bedroom, it's that shade."

"Oi!" cried little Ron. "That's my bedroom!"

"You had it painted since you were seven?" asked _Hermione_ in surprise.

"Three," corrected _Ron_, causing _Hermione_ to groan.

Sensing that this argument could continue for quite some time, Sirius began to read again.**  
**

"**Yes, I've already agreed it was fishy, Harry," said Hermione a little impatiently. She was sitting on the windowsill in Fred and George's room with her feet up on one of the cardboard boxes and had only grudgingly looked up from her new copy of _Advanced Rune Translation_. "But haven't we agreed there could be a lot of explanations?"**

"**Maybe he's broken his Hand of Glory," said Ron vaguely, as he attempted to straighten his broomstick's bent tail twigs. "Remember that shriveled-up arm Malfoy had?"**

"**But what about when he said, 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "That sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the broken objects, and Malfoy wants both."**

"**You reckon?" said Ron, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.**

"**Yeah, I do," said Harry. When neither Ron nor Hermione answered, he said, "Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"**

"I wouldn't put it past him," muttered Sirius darkly.**  
**

**Ron looked up, blinking.**

"**Malfoy, revenge? What can he do about it?"**

"Nothing really, but he's still a Malfoy," said Sirius.**  
**

"**That's my point, I don't know!" said Harry, frustrated. "But he's up to something and I think we should take it seriously. His father's a Death Eater and…"**

**Harry broke off, his eyes fixed on the window behind Hermione, his mouth open. A startling thought had just occurred to him.**

"**Harry?" said Hermione in an anxious voice. "What's wrong?"**

"**Your scar's not hurting again, is it?" asked Ron nervously.**

"**He's a Death Eater," said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"**

"What?" asked Arthur in shock. "A sixteen-year-old as a Death Eater? Preposterous."

"Arthur, in the previous war Voldemort did recruit a couple of sixteen-year-olds," said Dumbledore quietly. "I think it's rather early to doubt Harry's theory."

"B-but would he be doing it again?" asked Arthur.

"Most likely, especially when it's the children of current Death Eaters," answered Dumbledore.

"And remember, from the second chapter it seemed like it was a possibility for Draco to be a Death Eater," Percy pointed out. "Or at the very least, involved with them."

"True," admitted Arthur, but he still was a little unsure.

**There was a silence; then Ron erupted in laughter. "Malfoy? He's sixteen, Harry! You think You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join?"**

"**It seems very unlikely, Harry," said Hermione in a repressive sort of voice. "What makes you think —?"**

"**In Madam Malkin's. She didn't touch him, but he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve. It was his left arm. He's been branded with the Dark Mark."**

"So that's what you were muttering about," commented Percy.**  
**

**Ron and Hermione looked at each other.**

"**Well…" said Ron, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.**

"**I think he just wanted to get out of there, Harry," said Hermione.**

**"He showed Borgin something we couldn't see," Harry pressed on stubbornly. "Something that seriously scared Borgin. It was the Mark, I know it… he was showing Borgin who he was dealing with, you saw how seriously Borgin took him!"**

**Ron and Hermione exchanged another look.**

"**I'm not sure, Harry…"**

"**Yeah, I still don't reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join…"**

"He's a Malfoy," shrugged Sirius. "That all that's necessary."**  
**

**Annoyed, but absolutely convinced he was right, Harry snatched up a pile of filthy Quidditch robes and left the room; Mrs. Weasley had been urging them for days not to leave their washing and packing until the last moment.**

"So naturally you did," grinned Charlie.**  
**

** On the landing he bumped into Ginny, who was returning to her room carrying a pile of freshly laundered clothes.**

"**I wouldn't go in the kitchen just now," she warned him. "There's a lot of Phlegm around."**

Fleur glared sharply at _Ginny_, but didn't say anything.**  
**

"**I'll be careful not to slip in it." Harry smiled.**

**Sure enough, when he entered the kitchen it was to find Fleur sitting at the kitchen table, in full flow about plans for her wedding to Bill, while Mrs. Weasley kept watch over a pile of self-peeling sprouts, looking bad-tempered.**

"… **Bill and I 'ave almost decided on only two bridesmaids, Ginny and Gabrielle will look very sweet togezzer. I am theenking of dressing zem in pale gold, pink would of course be 'orrible with Ginny's 'air!"**

"Nothing goes with my hair," mumbled little Ginny.

"It's pretty," said little Harry quietly.

**"Ah, Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley loudly, cutting across Fleur's monologue. "Good, I wanted to explain about the security arrangements for the journey to Hogwarts tomorrow. We've got Ministry cars again, and there will be Aurors waiting at the station."**

"**Is Tonks going to be there?" asked Harry, handing over his Quidditch things.**

"**No, I don't think so, she's been stationed somewhere else from what Arthur said."**

"Where am I stationed?" asked Tonks

"Hogsmeade, and good thing you were there," said _Harry_.

"What did you do this time?" sighed Molly.

"You'll probably find out in this chapter," answered _Harry_, though he wished that this particular scene would not be in the book. He had been such an idiot, but thankfully had learned not to enter Slytherin compartments.**  
**

"**She has let 'erself go, zat Tonks," Fleur mused, examining her own stunning reflection in the back of a teaspoon. "A big mistake if you ask."**

"**Yes, thank you," said Mrs. Weasley tartly, cutting across Fleur again. "You'd better get on, Harry, I want the trunks ready tonight, if possible, so we don't have the usual last-minute scramble."**

**"I highly doubt that's it will be possible to avoid the scramble," grinned Bill.**

"Imagine what it will be like in about eleven or twelve years when there will be when nine or ten Weasley/Potters to get on the train," said Harry.

"I do not want to think about that," groaned _Ginny_.

"Merlin help Hogwarts," said _Ron_.

"Who would all be there?" asked Molly, eager to know more about her grandchildren.

"Well, Bill's three, Percy's two, Rose, James, the baby, George's son, depending on when the baby is born, George's other child," answered _Harry_. "But pretty soon, Hogwarts will be overrun by our family."**  
**

**And in fact, their departure the following morning was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of the Burrow to find them waiting, trunks packed; Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, safely enclosed in his traveling basket; and Hedwig; Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon; and Ginny's new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold, in cages.**

"**Aurevoir, 'Arry," said Fleur throatily, kissing him good-bye. Ron hurried forward, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell,**

"_Ginevra_!"

"Sorry," murmured little Ginny.

"Eet's okay," Fleur assured the young girl.**  
**

** sprawling in the dust at Fleur's feet. Furious, red-faced, and dirt-spattered, he hurried into the car without saying good-bye.**

**There was no cheerful Hagrid waiting for them at King's Cross Station. Instead, two grim-faced, bearded Aurors in dark Muggle suits moved forward the moment the cars stopped and, flanking the party, marched them into the station without speaking.**

"**Quick, quick, through the barrier," said Mrs. Weasley, who seemed a little flustered by this austere efficiency. "Harry had better go first, with…"**

**She looked inquiringly at one of the Aurors, who nodded briefly, seized Harry's upper arm, and attempted to steer him toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten.**

"I'm not two!" cried an annoyed little Harry from his perch on the sofa next to Sirius' chair.

"It's just for protection," began Sirius.

"I can take care of myself!" little Harry continued. "I don't need people helping me with going places."

"Harry, I know you are independent young lad," said Sirius quietly. "But sometimes even those who are independent need to have a bit of help. The Aurors are only there for your protection."

"I've never had protection," murmured little Harry.

Sirius shut his eyes briefly as he tried to figure out what to say. "Harry," he said gently. "I know you've never had it, but it's to help you. Protection is there to keep little boys from getting injured and I don't want you to get hurt any more than you already are."

Little Harry nodded briefly. He still wasn't entirely certain what his godfather meant, but he knew it wasn't anything bad. He had never been kept safe. No one had ever told him not do something that had to do with danger. He had been told not to go into Dudley's room, but never not to touch a hot stove. He looked down at his left palm and found the scar from when he had touched a stove about three years previously. He had learned then that stoves were hot and not to be touched. If protection would keep him from getting scars like that, perhaps it would be a good thing.

"Harry," said Sirius. "Harry?"

"What?" asked little Harry, suddenly startled out of his thoughts. "What do you need?"

"Calm down please," said Sirius softly. "Are you alright? You were pretty deep in thought."

Little Harry nodded. "Can you keep reading?"

"Certainly," answered Sirius with a smile. Before he started though, he glanced over at his godson. He knew that there had to be more scars and injuries because of the chores and it also seemed like he had never been told about safety, at least at home. Sirius was certain that everything Harry had learned about safety had either been at school or learning by mistakes. He was pretty certain that schools didn't spend a lot of time on safety as it was assumed parents took care of that department, but if there were any other incidents in which Harry had gotten injured because he hadn't been told something to do with safety, the Dursleys would pay even more.**  
**

"**I can walk, thanks," said Harry irritably, jerking his arm out of the Auror's grip. He pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, ignoring his silent companion, and found himself, a second later, standing on platform nine and three-quarters, where the scarlet Hogwarts Express stood belching steam over the crowd.**

**Hermione and the Weasleys joined him within seconds. Without waiting to consult his grim-faced Auror, Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione to follow him up the platform, looking for an empty compartment.**

"Uh, Harry, they're still Prefects," said _Ginny_.

"Did you have to go there as well?" asked Bill.

"No," answered Ginny.

"But you said that you were a Prefect," said a rather confused George.

"Yes, I did," answered _Ginny_. "However, I became a Prefect in sixth year because the girl Gryffindor Prefect for my year was unable to make it the next year. So McGonagall figured I was the best person for the role as I had leadership skills."

"That's strange," said Molly. "Hardly ever is someone not able to come to Hogwarts."

"It happens occasionally," answered Dumbledore. "And this is during a war, so perhaps this girl's family figured it would be safer to keep her at home."

"But isn't Hogwarts the safest place during a war?" inquired Arthur.

"It can be, but if the danger is at Hogwarts, it would not be safe," continued Dumbledore.

"Danger at Hogwarts?" asked a pale Molly. "What do you mean?"

"I am merely stating that considering Voldemort's feelings about Muggle-borns and the fact that this girl did not come to one of the safest places in the magical world, most likely there is someone on Voldemort's side at Hogwarts who would kill her if she would come," finished Dumbledore.

"You mean like Snape?" asked Sirius angrily.

"No, Severus would never betray a Muggle-born," said Dumbledore firmly. He was certain that Sirius did not know about Severus' love for Lily and he wished to keep it that way.

"So you think that Hogwarts was taken over?" asked Arthur slowly.

"It is merely a theory," said Dumbledore. "A rather far-fetched one, but a plausible one nonetheless. Of course, this would only be possible if I were no longer Headmaster. I am getting old and naturally it makes sense that I will die sometime in the future. Once I am no longer Headmaster, Voldemort would no longer be afraid of taking over Hogwarts, hence my belief that there might be a Death Eater teaching there for a short time in the near future."

"I hope you're wrong," said a pale Arthur, "but your logic is sound."

"**We can't, Harry," said Hermione, looking apologetic. "Ron and I've got to go to the prefects' carriage first and then patrol the corridors for a bit."**

"**Oh yeah, I forgot," said Harry.**

"**You'd better get straight on the train, all of you, you've only got a few minutes to go," said Mrs. Weasley, consulting her watch. "Well, have a lovely term, Ron…"**

"**Mr. Weasley, can I have a quick word?" said Harry, making up his mind on the spur of the moment.**

"Which is extremely common," grinned _Ginny_.

"Oi!" cried _Harry_, but he knew it was true.**  
**

"**Of course," said Mr. Weasley, who looked slightly surprised, but followed Harry out of earshot of the others nevertheless.**

**Harry had thought it through carefully and come to the conclusion that, if he was to tell anyone, Mr. Weasley was the right person; firstly, because he worked at the Ministry and was therefore in the best position to make further investigations, and secondly, because he thought that there was not too much risk of Mr. Weasley exploding with anger.**

"That's true," agreed Arthur.

"I've only seen you get mad a couple of times," said Molly softly. "Sometimes I wish I had your temperament."**  
**

**He could see Mrs. Weasley and the grim-faced Auror casting the pair of them suspicious looks as they moved away.**

"**When we were in Diagon Alley," Harry began, but Mr. Weasley forestalled him with a grimace.**

"**Am I about to discover where you, Ron, and Hermione disappeared to while you were supposed to be in the back room of Fred and George's shop?"**

"How could he figure that out?" asked _Ron_.**  
**

"**How did you…?"**

"**Harry, please. You're talking to the man who raised Fred and George."**

"Oh, yeah, that make sense," said _Ron_.

"I wonder if George will have that same intuition," mused _Hermione_.

"If he does, knowing George, he'll ignore it," said _Ron_.**  
**

"**Er… yeah, all right, we weren't in the back room."**

"**Very well, then, let's hear the worst."**

"**Well, we followed Draco Malfoy. We used my Invisibility Cloak."**

"**Did you have any particular reason for doing so, or was it a mere whim?"**

"**Because I thought Malfoy was up to something," said Harry, disregarding Mr. Weasley's look of mingled exasperation and amusement. "He'd given his mother the slip and I wanted to know why."**

"Too inquisitive for your own good," muttered Molly.

"Sometimes it helped us," _Harry_ defended. "Or at least me."**  
**

"**Of course you did," said Mr. Weasley, sounding resigned. "Well? Did you find out why?"**

"**He went into Borgin and Burkes," said Harry, "and started bullying the bloke in there, Borgin, to help him fix something. And he said he wanted Borgin to keep something else for him. He made it sound like it was the same kind of thing that needed fixing. Like they were a pair. And…"**

"Pair, pair," murmured Bill as he furrowed his brow. "What pairs of perhaps dangerous objects have there been?"

Dumbledore thought he might know. There was a vanishing cabinet at Hogwarts and it also sounded like there was one at Borgin's shop. They very easily could be from the same pair. It would fit too, as Malfoy wanted something repaired. In the second book, the Hogwarts cabinet had gotten broken. He decided not to say anything at the moment, but he was certain he was correct.**  
**

**Harry took a deep breath.**

**"There's something else. We saw Malfoy jump about a mile when Madam Malkin tried to touch his left arm. I think he's been branded with the Dark Mark. I think he's replaced his father as a Death Eater."**

**Mr. Weasley looked taken aback. After a moment he said, "Harry, I doubt whether You-Know-Who would allow a sixteen-year-old…"**

"And naturally it looks like I might be wrong," said Arthur quietly. He hadn't been very involved with the original Order because of Molly and the children, so he hadn't heard about the sixteen-year-old Death Eaters. Also, he had graduated from school before You-Know-Who began to really recruit**.  
**

**"Does anyone really know what You-Know-Who would or wouldn't do?" asked Harry angrily. "Mr. Weasley, I'm sorry, but isn't it worth investigating? If Malfoy wants something fixing, and he needs to threaten Borgin to get it done, it's probably something Dark or dangerous, isn't it?"**

**"I doubt it, to be honest, Harry," said Mr. Weasley slowly. "You see, when Lucius Malfoy was arrested, we raided his house. We took away everything that might have been dangerous."**

"I think the technical answer would be, 'We took everything we could find that might have been dangerous'," said Bill.**  
**

"**I think you missed something," said Harry stubbornly.**

"**Well, maybe," said Mr. Weasley, but Harry could tell that Mr. Weasley was humoring him.**

**There was a whistle behind them; nearly everyone had boarded the train and the doors were closing.**

"**You'd better hurry!" said Mr. Weasley, as Mrs. Weasley cried, "Harry, quickly!"**

**He hurried forward and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helped him load his trunk onto the train.**

"**Now, dear, you're coming to us for Christmas,**

"And that was the first of many Christmases spent at the Burrow," said _Harry_ with a soft smile on his face.

** it's all fixed with Dumbledore, so we'll see you quite soon," said Mrs. Weasley through the window, as Harry slammed the door shut behind him and the train began to move. "You make sure you look after yourself and…"**

**The train was gathering speed.**

"… **be good and…" She was jogging to keep up now.**

"… **stay safe!"**

The four time travelers exchanged glances.

"How many near brushes with death were there this year?" asked _Ginny_.

"Three or four throughout the year among the three of us." said _Harry_, "Though not all of them had to do with me."

"There was everything in June though," _Hermione_ pointed out.

'Yes," _Harry_ agreed, "but I'm not counting that because everyone had several near brushes with death."

Sirius was deathly pale during this discussion. _Harry_ had nearly died several times already and would continue to nearly die. "I hope your sense of self-preservation has grown," he said in what he hoped to be a stern voice.

"It has," answered _Harry _calmly. "I have a family. And I now know that there are things worth living for, as well as things worth dying for."**  
**

**Harry waved until the train had turned a corner and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were lost to view, then turned to see where the others had got to. He supposed Ron and Hermione were cloistered in the prefects' carriage, but Ginny was a little way along the corridor, chatting to some friends. He made his way toward her, dragging his trunk.**

**People stared shamelessly as he approached. They even pressed their faces against the windows of their compartments to get a look at him. He had expected an upswing in the amount of gaping and gawping he would have to endure this term after all the "Chosen One" rumors in the Daily Prophet, but he did not enjoy the sensation of standing in a very bright spotlight. **

"At least they believe you now," said Percy.**  
**

**He tapped Ginny on the shoulder.**

"**Fancy trying to find a compartment?"**

"**I can't, Harry, I said I'd meet Dean," said Ginny brightly. "See you later."**

"**Right," said Harry. He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her; he had become so used to her presence over the summer that he had almost forgotten that Ginny did not hang around with him, Ron, and Hermione while at school.**

"That will change soon," grinned _Ginny_.

"So do you two finally get together?" asked Tonks.

"Yeah," said _Ron_. "You could've done it more subtly though."

"And missed the look on your face?" asked _Harry_ in mock horror. "Never!"

"What happened?" asked Fred eagerly.

"You'll see," said _Ginny_. She wasn't looking forward to everyone finding out the exact way she and _Harry_ got together, but then, their first kiss had been in the Common Room.**  
**

**Then he blinked and looked around: He was surrounded by mesmerized girls.**

"**Hi, Harry!" said a familiar voice from behind him.**

"**Neville!" said Harry in relief, turning to see a round-faced boy struggling toward him.**

"**Hello, Harry," said a girl with long hair and large misty eyes, who was just behind Neville.**

"**Luna, hi, how are you?"**

"**Very well, thank you," said Luna. She was clutching a magazine to her chest; large letters on the front announced that there was a pair of free Spectrespecs inside.**

"Spectrespecs are very helpful with looking for Nargles," said Luna airily.**  
**

"**Quibbler still going strong, then?" asked Harry, who felt a certain fondness for the magazine, having given it an exclusive interview the previous year.**

"**Oh yes, circulation's well up," said Luna happily.**

"**Let's find seats," said Harry, and the three of them set off along the train through hordes of silently staring students. At last they found an empty compartment, and Harry hurried inside gratefully.**

"**They're even staring at us?" said Neville, indicating himself and Luna. "Because we're with you!"**

"Or because the two of you are now famous as well," added _Ginny_ with a grin.

"I don't wanna be famous," muttered Neville. He already got attention from those who had known his parents and while that was nice to a certain degree, it got annoying very fast.

"**They're staring at you because you were at the Ministry too," said Harry, as he hoisted his trunk into the luggage rack. "Our little adventure there was all over the Daily Prophet, you must've seen it."**

"**Yes, I thought Gran would be angry about all the publicity," said Neville, "but she was really pleased. Says I'm starting to live up to my dad at long last. She bought me a new wand, look!"**

Neville grinned. He really wanted to use his dad's wand, but if this new wand helped him, he make certain that he got a new wand to start with.**  
**

**He pulled it out and showed it to Harry.**

"**Cherry and unicorn hair," he said proudly. "We think it was one of the last Ollivander ever sold, he vanished next day… oy, come back here, Trevor!"**

"Why do I still have him?" groaned Neville.

"Don't worry, he eventually gets lost around Hogwarts," assured _Ron_. "Both of you are extremely relieved by that."

**And he dived under the seat to retrieve his toad as it made one of its frequent bids for freedom.**

**"Are we still doing D.A. meetings this year, Harry?" asked Luna, who was detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of The Quibbler.**

"**No point now we've got rid of Umbridge, is there?" said Harry, sitting down. Neville bumped his head against the seat as he emerged from under it. He looked most disappointed.**

"It would probably still be a good thing as you got lots of practical experience with it," advise Arthur. "You could easily turn it into a club."

"There is one now," said _Ginny_. "A few years ago, the D.A. was made a permanent part of Hogwarts. There are some changes, but the students get a lot of dueling practice, which is the most important part of it."

"Even in times of peace, one ought to know how to defend oneself," agreed Percy.**  
**

"**I liked the D.A.! I learned loads with you!"**

"**I enjoyed the meetings too," said Luna serenely. "It was like having friends."**

"That's because the D.A. are your friends," said _Ginny_ firmly.

"Thanks," said Luna softly.

"And I will be your friend," added little Ginny.

Little Hermione bit her lip in thought. The two other young girls here were very interesting. She had already started to get decently close to little Ginny. Luna on the other hand was an oddity. Half the time the things she said didn't make sense and the ones that even made sense were barely understandable. How someone could manage to be friends with a person like that was beyond her. She knew that she should give it a chance, but didn't want to make any promises that she couldn't keep.**  
**

**This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment. Before he could respond, however, there was a disturbance outside their compartment door; a group of fourth-year girls was whispering and giggling together on the other side of the glass.**

"**You ask him!"**

"**No, you!"**

"**I'll do it!"**

**And one of them, a bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin, and long black hair pushed her way through the door.**

"**Hi, Harry, I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane,"**

_Harry_ groaned and said, "She was so annoying."

"What did she do?" asked Charlie.

"The more accurate question is, 'What did she not do?'" corrected _Harry_.**  
**

** she said loudly and confidently. "Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with them," she added in a stage whisper, indicating Neville's bottom, which was sticking out from under the seat again as he groped around for Trevor, and Luna, who was now wearing her free Spectrespecs, which gave her the look of a demented, multicolored owl.**

Luna grinned at the description of her.**  
**

"**They're friends of mine," said Harry coldly.**

"**Oh," said the girl, looking very surprised. "Oh. Okay."**

**And she withdrew, sliding the door closed behind her.**

"**People expect you to have cooler friends than us," said Luna, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.**

**"You are cool," said Harry shortly. "None of them was at the Ministry. They didn't fight with me."**

"And now us four, plus Luna and Neville, are practically inseparable," said _Ginny_.**  
**

"**That's a very nice thing to say," beamed Luna. Then she pushed her Spectrespecs farther up her nose and settled down to read The Quibbler.**

"**We didn't face him, though," said Neville, emerging from under the seat with fluff and dust in his hair and a resigned-looking Trevor in his hand. "You did. You should hear my gran talk about you. 'That Harry Potter's got more backbone than the whole Ministry of Magic put together!' She'd give anything to have you as a grandson…"**

Neville shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Neville, you know your grandmother truly loves you and would never want you replaced," said Molly softly.

Neville nodded quickly, "But she never says anything about how she likes me as me. I like being compared to Mum and Dad, but never that I'm like them. It's always, 'Your Dad was great at that' or 'Your Mum could perform that task so well'."

Molly sighed. She knew that she'd have to have a talk with Augusta. She had already thought of it, but was certain that it had to happen. Granted, she needed to get over that difficultly in her own life as well. Her children had pointed out that she was comparing them as well. She had never meant to negatively compare them, but she guessed that it came out that way. She figured that if she needed to compare her children she should compare them by how they were alike, such as a love for mischief in some degree or other.**  
**

**Harry laughed uncomfortably and changed the subject to OWL. results as soon as he could. While Neville recited his grades and wondered aloud whether he would be allowed to take a Transfiguration NEWT, with only an "Acceptable," Harry watched him without really listening.**

"Nope, you need an 'Exceeds Expectations' for her. You need that for most NEWT classes," said Bill. "Only Snape requires an O."**  
**

**Neville's childhood had been blighted by Voldemort just as much as Harry's had, but Neville had no idea how close he had come to having Harry's destiny. The prophecy could have referred to either of them, yet, for his own inscrutable reasons, Voldemort had chosen to believe that Harry was the one meant.**

**Had Voldemort chosen Neville, it would be Neville sitting opposite Harry bearing the lightning-shaped scar and the weight of the prophecy… Or would it? Would Neville's mother have died to save him, as Lily had died for Harry? **

Neville had tears in his eyes. Did his mum really love him that much? Would she have sacrificed herself?

"Neville, you were Alice's joy," said Remus softly. "She and your dad would do anything for you. Believe me, if it was between her life and yours, she'd sacrifice herself in an instant."

Neville nodded quickly as he tried to rub the few glistening tears away.**  
**

**Surely she would… But what if she had been unable to stand between her son and Voldemort? Would there then have been no "Chosen One" at all? An empty seat where Neville now sat and a scarless Harry who would have been kissed good-bye by his own mother, not Ron's?"**

"**You all right, Harry? You look funny," said Neville.**

**Harry started. "Sorry… I…"**

"**Wrackspurt got you?" asked Luna sympathetically, peering at Harry through her enormous colored spectacles.**

"**I… what?"**

"**A Wrackspurt… They're invisible. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," she said. "I thought I felt one zooming around in here."**

**She flapped her hands at thin air, as though beating off large invisible moths. Harry and Neville caught each other's eyes and hastily began to talk of Quidditch.**

"That's the conversation that everyone reverts to if they can't speak of anything else," said Charlie.

"Or in your case, it's practically the only thing you talk about," pointed out Percy.**  
**

**The weather beyond the train windows was as patchy as it had been all summer; they passed through stretches of the chilling mist, then out into weak, clear sunlight. It was during one of the clear spells, when the sun was visible almost directly overhead, that Ron and Hermione entered the compartment at last.**

"Good," said little Ron, who was still appalled at the idea of his future self being a Prefect.**  
**

"**Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," said Ron longingly, slumping into the seat beside Harry and rubbing his stomach. "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna. Guess what?" he added, turning to Harry. "Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."**

**Harry sat up straight, interested. It was not like Malfoy to pass up the chance to demonstrate his power as prefect, which he had happily abused all the previous year.**

"**What did he do when he saw you?"**

"**The usual," said Ron indifferently, demonstrating a rude hand gesture. "Not like him, though, is it? Well… that is"— he did the hand gesture again — "but why isn't he out there bullying first years?"**

"You should be grateful he isn't," said Remus pointedly.

"That reminds me, didn't you mention that you had a cousin of sorts who came to Hogwarts this year?" asked Sirius.

"Yes," answered _Harry_, "but I didn't really interact with him. Sixth years and first years rarely hang out together."

"Oh, but you know him now?"

"Yes," said _Harry_. "Mark comes over rather frequently."**  
**

"**Dunno," said Harry, but his mind was racing. Didn't this look as though Malfoy had more important things on his mind than bullying younger students?**

"**Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," said Hermione. "Maybe being a Prefect seems a bit tame after that."**

"Can't you take away his Prefect privileges?" asked Sirius.

"It is possible to strip one of Prefect status," said Dumbledore, "but I cannot do it alone as it is also necessary for the Head of House to say the Prefect status must be repealed."

"And you'll never hear that from Snape," muttered Sirius.**  
**

"**I don't think so," said Harry. "I think he's —"**

**But before he could expound on his theory, the compartment door slid open again and a breathless third-year girl stepped inside.**

"**I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter," she faltered, as her eyes met Harry's and she turned scarlet. She was holding out two scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon. Perplexed, Harry and Neville took the scroll addressed to each of them and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment.**

**"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Harry unrolled his.**

**"An invitation," said Harry.**

"Don't accept," said Sirius quickly.

"You don't even know what it is," said Percy.

"Didn't you hear the rant about the Slug Club earlier?" questioned Sirius. "Avoid it at as much as possible."

"How do you know it's the Slug Club?" asked Fred.

"Two words 'violet ribbon'," said Sirius.

"That's four words," said little Ginny.

"No, 'violet ribbon' is two words," said little Hermione. "Sirius meant two words after the initial two words."

"But he only spoke four words in all," said Neville.

Little Hermione groaned. "Yes, he spoke four words, but two of them were making his point. These two words were 'violet ribbon'."

"Oh," said little Ron, "but why is there that phrase?"

"To emphasize a point," said an exasperated little Hermione. "Keep reading."**  
**

**Harry,**

**I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C.**

**Sincerely,**

**Professor H. E. F. Slughorn**

"I got one too?" asked Neville. "Why?"

"Probably it has to do with your parents," said Remus gently. "Slughorn is odd that way, but I'm certain he saw you for who you are eventually."**  
**

"**But what does he want me for?" asked Neville nervously, as though he was expecting detention.**

"**No idea," said Harry, which was not entirely true, though he had no proof yet that his hunch was correct. "Listen," he added, seized by a sudden brain wave, "let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."**

"Good idea, but I doubt it will work as the train's so crowded," said Bill.**  
**

**This idea, however, came to nothing: The corridors, which were packed with people on the lookout for the lunch trolley, were impossible to negotiate while wearing the cloak. Harry stowed it regretfully back in his bag, reflecting that it would have been nice to wear it just to avoid all the staring, which seemed to have increased in intensity even since he had last walked down the train. Every now and then, students would hurtle out of their compartments to get a better look at him. The exception was Cho Chang, who darted into her compartment when she saw Harry coming. As Harry passed the window, he saw her deep in determined conversation with her friend Marietta, who was wearing a very thick layer of makeup that did not entirely obscure the odd formation of pimples still etched across her face. **

"How much longer did they last?" asked Sirius.

"Not too much, but there was scarring," answered _Hermione_.**  
**

**Smirking slightly, Harry pushed on.**

**When they reached compartment C, they saw at once that they were not Slughorn's only invitees, although judging by the enthusiasm of Slughorn's welcome, Harry was the most warmly anticipated.**

"**Harry, m'boy!" said Slughorn, jumping up at the sight of him so that his great velvet-covered belly seemed to fill all the remaining space in the compartment. His shiny bald head and great silvery mustache gleamed as brightly in the sunlight as the golden buttons on his waistcoat. "Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!"**

**Neville nodded, looking scared. At a gesture from Slughorn, they sat down opposite each other in the only two empty seats, which were nearest the door. Harry glanced around at their fellow guests. He recognized a Slytherin from their year, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes; there were also two seventh-year boys Harry did not know and, squashed in the corner beside Slughorn and looking as though she was not entirely sure how she had got there, Ginny.**

"How did you get in?" inquired Molly.

"He mentions it," muttered _Ginny_. She had liked being recognized for something that she had done, but once she realized exactly what Slughorn had been trying to do, she avoided him as much as possible.**  
**

**"Now, do you know everyone?" Slughorn asked Harry and Neville. "Blaise Zabini is in your year, of course —"**

**Zabini did not make any sign of recognition or greeting, nor did Harry or Neville: Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other on principle.**

Dumbledore sighed. He truly wished that someday the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry would cease. In war, everyone must stick together lest they be defeated. Even if it wasn't for the war, Hogwarts was not supposed to be divided within itself. The houses had been created to help the students and professors by making the classes smaller, not for starting rivalries.**  
**

"**This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you've come across each other —? No?"**

_Ron_ growled under his breath.

"Something wrong?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, McLaggen is a full-fledged idiotic Gryffindor git," said _Ron_.

"That's a lot of insults packed into one sentence," commented Tonks.

"He deserves it," muttered _Ron_.

"What did he do?" asked Bill.

"Where would you like me to start?" retorted _Ron_.

"I think most of the reasons are explained," said _Hermione_.

**McLaggen, a large, wiry-haired youth, raised a hand, and Harry and Neville nodded back at him.**

"—**and this is Marcus Belby, I don't know whether —?"**

**Belby, who was thin and nervous-looking, gave a strained smile.**

"— **and this charming young lady tells me she knows you!" Slughorn finished.**

**Ginny grimaced at Harry and Neville from behind Slughorn's back.**

"I did not want to be there," muttered _Ginny_.**  
**

"**Well now, this is most pleasant," said Slughorn cozily. "A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things… Pheasant, Belby?"**

**Belby started and accepted what looked like half a cold pheasant.**

"**I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles," Slughorn told Harry and Neville, now passing around a basket of rolls. "Outstanding wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"**

**Unfortunately, Belby had just taken a large mouthful of pheasant; in his haste to answer Slughorn he swallowed too fast, turned purple, and began to choke.**

"**Anapneo," said Slughorn calmly, pointing his wand at Belby, whose airway seemed to clear at once.**

"**Not… not much of him, no," gasped Belby, his eyes streaming.**

"**Well, of course, I daresay he's busy," said Slughorn, looking questioningly at Belby. **

"I guess Belby's out of the club then," murmured Sirius.**  
**

"**I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane Potion without considerable hard work!"**

"I hope someday it's not as expensive to buy," murmured Remus. He got Wolfsbane as often as he could afford it, which wasn't extremely often. He could feel the difference though when he took it, not to mention that his recovery was much faster when he was in his right mind the entire time.

"I did get an O in my Potions NEWT," said Sirius. "I easily could make it."

"Sirius, I don't want you to have to . . ." began Remus, but Sirius cut him off.

"Have to?" asked Sirius in shock. "Remus, don't be an idiot! I'm a friend and friends help each other. I would be glad to make Wolfsbane for you every month."

Remus stared at Sirius. He had not expected his friend to say something like that.

"Of course, I'd have to figure out how to make it as it's a recent invention that I hadn't heard about until just a few days ago," added Sirius.

"Sirius . . ." began Remus again, but once again was cut off.

"Look, Remus," said Sirius sternly. "I will be making Wolfsbane for you once I figured it out. That's a fact." With that, Sirius turned back to the book and continued to read.**  
**

"**I suppose…" said Belby, who seemed afraid to take another bite of pheasant until he was sure that Slughorn had finished with him. "Er… he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about…"**

**His voice tailed away as Slughorn gave him a cold smile and turned to McLaggen instead.**

"**Now, you, Cormac," said Slughorn, "I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?"**

"**Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was," said McLaggen. "We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour; this was before he became Minister, obviously —"**

"McLaggen certainly knows how to play up to Slughorn," commented Sirius.

"**Ah, you know Bertie and Rufus too?" beamed Slughorn, now offering around a small tray of pies; somehow, Belby was missed out. "Now tell me…"**

**It was as Harry had suspected. Everyone here seemed to have been invited because they were connected to somebody well-known or influential — everyone except Ginny. Zabini, who was interrogated after McLaggen, turned out to have a famously beautiful witch for a mother (from what Harry could make out, she had been married seven times, each of her husbands dying mysteriously and leaving her mounds of gold). It was Neville's turn next: This was a very uncomfortable ten minutes, for Neville's parents, well-known Aurors, had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and a couple of Death Eater cronies.**

Neville clenched his fists at the reminder of his parents. He hated it that everyone in this room knew, but at the same time it was nice that he didn't have to keep it a secret any longer. Also, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin had promised to tell him stories about his parents.**  
**

** At the end of Neville's interview, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgment on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents' flair.**

"**And now," said Slughorn, shifting massively in his seat with the air of a compere introducing his star act. "Harry Potter! Where to begin? I feel I barely scratched the surface when we met over the summer!" He contemplated Harry for a moment as though he was a particularly large and succulent piece of pheasant, then said, "'The Chosen One,' they're calling you now!"**

_Harry_ groaned at the reminder. Hardly a week went by when there wasn't something or other about him in the papers and he extremely disliked any reminders of them, especially the 'Chosen One' and 'Undesirable One', though the latter rarely was mentioned.**  
**

**Harry said nothing. Belby, McLaggen, and Zabini were all staring at him.**

"**Of course," said Slughorn, watching Harry closely, "there have been rumors for years… I remember when… well — after that terrible night — Lily — James — and you survived — and the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary —"**

**Zabini gave a tiny little cough that was clearly supposed to indicate amused skepticism. An angry voice burst out from behind Slughorn.**

"**Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented… at posing…"**

"_Ginny_," sighed Bill.

"How'd you guess it was me?" asked _Ginny_.

"You just confirmed it, you know," Bill pointed out much to _Ginny's_ annoyance. He paused for a moment, but said, "Only you would say something like that in front of a professor."

"You've said a lot of similar things in front of a professor in the past few days," _Ginny_ pointed out.

"Yes, but these are entirely abnormal circumstances," said Bill. "Who expects a stack of books to suddenly appear from nearly twenty years in the future?"**  
**

"**Oh dear!" chuckled Slughorn comfortably, looking around at Ginny, who was glaring at Zabini around Slughorn's great belly. "You want to be careful, Blaise! I saw this young lady perform the most marvelous Bat-Bogey Hex as I was passing her carriage! I wouldn't cross her!"**

"You really shouldn't," advised _Harry_, "especially when she's pregnant."

_Ginny_ glared at her husband, grabbed a nearby pillow, and whacked him with it.

**Zabini merely looked contemptuous.**

"**Anyway," said Slughorn, turning back to Harry. "Such rumors this summer. Of course, one doesn't know what to believe, the Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies, make mistakes — but there seems little doubt, given the number of witnesses, that there was quite a disturbance at the Ministry and that you were there in the thick of it all!"**

"Nothing new there," said _Ron_. "You still can't avoid being in the middle of everything."

"Even though I try to," muttered _Harry_. "Being Head Auror doesn't help with avoiding things, but I enjoy my job."**  
**

**Harry, who could not see any way out of this without flatly lying, nodded but still said nothing. Slughorn beamed at him.**

"**So modest, so modest, no wonder Dumbledore is so fond — you were there, then? But the rest of the stories — so sensational, of course, one doesn't know quite what to believe — this fabled prophecy, for instance —"**

"**We never heard a prophecy," said Neville, turning geranium pink as he said it.**

"**That's right," said Ginny staunchly. "Neville and I were both there too, and all this 'Chosen One' rubbish is just the Prophet making things up as usual."**

"But I know about the prophecy," said a confused Neville.

"You two were helping me by making Slughorn think it was made up," explained _Harry_.**  
**

"**You were both there too, were you?" said Slughorn with great interest, looking from Ginny to Neville, but both of them sat clam-like before his encouraging smile.**

"Both of you just went up a notch," grinned Remus.**  
**

"**Yes… well… it is true that the Prophet often exaggerates, of course…" Slughorn said, sounding a little disappointed. "I remember dear Gwenog telling me (Gwenog Jones, I mean, of course, Captain of the Holyhead Harpies) —"**

"I'm gonna play for the Harpies," said little Ginny firmly.

"How do you know that?" asked Tonks.

"My older self said so," explained little Ginny.

"That's sounds so weird to say," _Ginny_ murmured to Harry, who nodded in agreement.**  
**

**He meandered off into a long-winded reminiscence, but Harry had the distinct impression that Slughorn had not finished with him, and that he had not been convinced by Neville and Ginny.**

**The afternoon wore on with more anecdotes about illustrious wizards Slughorn had taught, all of whom had been delighted to join what he called the "Slug Club" at Hogwarts. Harry could not wait to leave, but couldn't see how to do so politely. Finally the train emerged from yet another long misty stretch into a red sunset, and Slughorn looked around, blinking in the twilight.**

"**Good gracious, it's getting dark already! I didn't notice that they'd lit the lamps! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on nogtails. Harry, Blaise — any time you're passing. Same goes for you, miss," he twinkled at Ginny. "Well, off you go, off you go!"**

"And Belby is officially out!" said Fred in an announcers voice.**  
**

**As he pushed past Harry into the darkening corridor, Zabini shot him a filthy look that Harry returned with interest. He, Ginny, and Neville followed Zabini back along the train.**

"**I'm glad that's over," muttered Neville. "Strange man, isn't he?"**

"**Yeah, he is a bit," said Harry, his eyes on Zabini. "How come you ended up in there, Ginny?"**

"**He saw me hex Zacharias Smith," said Ginny. **

"What did you do?" groaned Molly.**  
**

**"You remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the D.A.? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed me so much I hexed him — **

"_Ginny_," sighed Molly, but she didn't say anything else.**  
**

**when Slughorn came in I thought I was going to get detention, but he just thought it was; it really good hex and invited me to lunch! Mad, eh?"**

"Well, Slughorn is a bit mad," agreed Arthur.**  
**

"**Better reason for inviting someone than because their mother's famous," said Harry, scowling at the back of Zabini's head, "or because their uncle —"**

"_Ginny_ is one of the few who got in on her own merits," said _Harry_, "but of course, she didn't care."

"I hated the Slug Club," _Ginny_ muttered. "There shouldn't be a place in which you have to have famous relatives or be overly powerful to get in to."

**But he broke off. An idea had just occurred to him, a reckless but potentially wonderful idea… In a minute's time, Zabini was going to reenter the Slytherin sixth-year compartment and Malfoy would be sitting there, thinking himself unheard by anybody except fellow Slytherins… If Harry could only enter, unseen, behind him, what might he not see or hear? True, there was little of the journey left… Hogsmeade Station had to be less than half an hour away, judging by the wildness of the scenery flashing by the windows… but nobody else seemed prepared to take Harry's suspicions seriously, so it was down to him to prove them.**

"**I'll see you two later," said Harry under his breath, pulling out his Invisibility Cloak and flinging it over himself.**

"**But what're you —?" asked Neville.**

"**Later!" whispered Harry, darting after Zabini as quietly as possible, though the rattling of the train made such caution almost pointless.**

"_Harry_," groaned Remus. "Please don't tell be you're doing what I think you're doing."

Everyone else seemed tense. _Harry_ once again was getting ready to do something rather stupid.**  
**

**The corridors were almost completely empty now. Nearly everyone had returned to their carriages to change into their school robes and pack up their possessions. Though he was as close as he could get to Zabini without touching him, Harry was not quick enough to slip into the compartment when Zabini opened the door. Zabini was already sliding it shut when Harry hastily stuck out his foot to prevent it closing.**

"That isn't how you sneak," said Fred sternly.

"How do you sneak?" asked Neville.

"First you . . .," began Fred, but was cut off. Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by Sirius reading once again.**  
**

"**What's wrong with this thing?" said Zabini angrily as he smashed the sliding door repeatedly into Harry's foot.**

**Harry seized the door and pushed it open, hard; Zabini, still clinging on to the handle, toppled over sideways into Gregory Goyle's lap, and in the ensuing ruckus, Harry darted into the compartment, leapt onto Zabini's temporarily empty seat, and hoisted himself up into the luggage rack. **

"Please tell me you weren't seen," murmured Sirius as he continued to read.**  
**

**It was fortunate that Goyle and Zabini were snarling at each other, drawing all eyes onto them, for Harry was quite sure his feet and ankles had been revealed as the cloak had flapped around them; indeed, for one horrible moment he thought he saw Malfoy's eyes follow his trainer as it whipped upward out of sight. **

"And considering your luck, he did," muttered Bill.**  
**

**But then Goyle slammed the door shut and flung Zabini off him; Zabini collapsed into his own seat looking ruffled, Vincent Crabbe returned to his comic, and Malfoy, sniggering, lay back down across two seats with his head in Pansy Parkinsons lap. Harry lay curled uncomfortably under the cloak to ensure that every inch of him remained hidden, and watched Pansy stroke the sleek blond hair off Malfoy's forehead, smirking as she did so, as though anyone would have loved to have been in her place. **

**The lanterns swinging from the carriage ceiling cast a bright light over the scene: Harry could read every word of Crabbe's comic directly below him.**

"**So, Zabini," said Malfoy, "what did Slughorn want?"**

"**Just trying to make up to well-connected people," said Zabini, who was still glowering at Goyle. "Not that he managed to find many."**

**This information did not seem to please Malfoy. "Who else had he invited?" he demanded.**

"**McLaggen from Gryffindor," said Zabini.**

"**Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry," said Malfoy.**

"— **someone else called Belby, from Ravenclaw…"**

"**Not him, he's a prat!" said Pansy.**

"You're one to talk," muttered _Ginny_.**  
**

"— **and Longbottom, Potter, and that Weasley girl," finished Zabini.**

**Malfoy sat up very suddenly, knocking Pansy's hand aside.**

"**He invited Longbottom?"**

"Why's that such a surprise?" asked little Harry. "Neville's great."

"Thanks," said an extremely shy Neville, "but I'm not."

"Neville, you really are special," said Molly softly. "And from the books, it's evident that you become a very powerful wizard."

"**Well, I assume so, as Longbottom was there," said Zabini indifferently.**

"**What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?" Zabini shrugged.**

"**Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at 'the Chosen One,'" sneered Malfoy, "but that Weasley girl! What's so special about her?"**

"A lot of things," said Charlie and he winked at little Ginny.**  
**

"**A lot of boys like her," said Pansy, watching Malfoy out of the corner of her eyes for his reaction. "Even you think she's good-looking, don't you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please!**

"I am sincerly glad I did not know Zabini liked me," said _Ginny_ with a shudder.**  
**

"**I wouldn't touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like," said Zabini coldly, and Pansy looked pleased. Malfoy sank back across her lap and allowed her to resume the stroking of his hair.**

"**Well, I pity Slughorn's taste. Maybe he's going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his. Slughorn probably hasn't heard I'm on the train, or —"**

"Or perhaps he knows that your an idiot and that your father is a Death Eater," finished Sirius in a reading tone.

"Padfoot! Read the correct words," reprimanded an amused Remus.**  
**

"**I wouldn't bank on an invitation," said Zabini. "He asked me about Notts father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he'd been caught at the Ministry he didn't look happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters."**

**Malfoy looked angry, but forced out a singularly humorless laugh.**

"He can laugh?" asked Fred in mock shock.**  
**

"**Well, who cares what he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher." Malfoy yawned ostentatiously. "I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what's it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?"**

"**What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?" said Pansy indignantly, ceasing grooming Malfoy at once.**

"**Well, you never know," said Malfoy with the ghost of a smirk. "I might have — er — moved on to bigger and better things."**

"Even more proof he could be or rather is a Death Eater," said Sirius rather angrily.**  
**

**Crouched in the luggage rack under his cloak, Harry's heart began to race. What would Ron and Hermione say about this? Crabbe and Goyle were gawping at Malfoy; apparently they had had no inkling of any plans to move on to bigger and better things. Even Zabini had allowed a look of curiosity to mar his haughty features. Pansy resumed the slow stroking of Malfoy s hair, looking dumbfounded.**

"**Do you mean — Him?"**

"No, I mean Her," said George sarcastically.

"George!" said Molly rather sternly. "Don't joke about that."

"Yes, Mum."

**Malfoy shrugged.**

"**Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean, think about it… When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s anyone's got? Of course he isn't. It'll be all about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown."**

"**And you think you'll be able to do something for him?" asked Zabini scathingly. "Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?"**

"**I've just said, haven't I? Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for," said Malfoy quietly.**

"Does Malfoy know about the job he's supposed to do?" asked Arthur.

"He does learn it, but I'm not certain if he knows it at this point," said Harry. "From the way he's acting, most likely he does know or at least has an idea."**  
**

**Crabbe and Goyle were both sitting with their mouths open like gargoyles. Pansy was gazing down at Malfoy as though she had never seen anything so awe-inspiring.**

"**I can see Hogwarts," said Malfoy, clearly relishing the effect he had created as he pointed out of the blackened window. "We'd better get our robes on."**

**Harry was so busy staring at Malfoy, he did not notice Goyle reaching up for his trunk; as he swung it down, it hit Harry hard on the side of the head. He let out an involuntary gasp of pain, and Malfoy looked up at the luggage rack, frowning.**

"You should've put a silencing charm on yourself," said Charlie.**  
**

**Harry was not afraid of Malfoy, but he still did not much like the idea of being discovered hiding under his Invisibility Cloak by a group of unfriendly Slytherins. Eyes still watering and head still throbbing, he drew his wand,**

"Good, curse them," said Sirius.

"Sirius!" cried Remus.**  
**

** careful not to disarrange the cloak, and waited, breath held. To his relief, Malfoy seemed to decide that he had imagined the noise; he pulled on his robes like the others, locked his trunk, and as the train slowed to a jerky crawl, fastened a thick new traveling cloak round his neck.**

**Harry could see the corridors filling up again and hoped that Hermione and Ron would take his things out onto the platform for him; he was stuck where he was until the compartment had quite emptied. At last, with a final lurch, the train came to a complete halt. Goyle threw the door open and muscled his way out into a crowd of second years, punching them aside; Crabbe and Zabini followed.**

"**You go on," Malfoy told Pansy, who was waiting for him with her hand held out as though hoping he would hold it. "I just want to check something."**

"Dammit, he figured out that you were there," moaned Sirius.**  
**

**Pansy left. Now Harry and Malfoy were alone in the compartment. People were filing past, descending onto the dark platform. Malfoy moved over to the compartment door and let down the blinds, so that people in the corridor beyond could not peer in. He then bent down over his trunk and opened it again.**

**Harry peered down over the edge of the luggage rack, his heart pumping a little faster. What had Malfoy wanted to hide from Pansy? Was he about to see the mysterious broken object it was so important to mend?**

"_Harry_, don't get distracted," groaned Remus.

"That was a perfect opening for a body-bind," said Sirius.

"Sorry," _Harry_ apologized. He knew that if Moody had heard of this incident, he would've gotten an earful. After this incident, he had never let his guard down during a stake-out.**  
**

"**Petrificus Totalus!"**

"Yes!" said Tonks. "Good for you, _Harry_."

"Uh, that wasn't me," admitted a slightly red _Harry_.

Sirius glared sharply at the book before he continued to read.**  
**

**Without warning, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry, who was instantly paralyzed. As though in slow motion, he toppled out of the luggage rack and fell, with an agonizing, floor-shaking crash, at Malfoy's feet, the Invisibility Cloak trapped beneath him, his whole body revealed with his legs still curled absurdly into the cramped kneeling position. He couldn't move a muscle; he could only gaze up at Malfoy, who smiled broadly.**

"**I thought so," he said jubilantly. "I heard Goyle's trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back…"**

**His eyes lingered for a moment upon Harry's trainers.**

"**You didn't hear anything I care about, Potter. But while I've got you here…"**

**And he stamped, hard, on Harry's face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.**

"That vile . . . child," said Remus as he groped for words that would be appropriate with certain people in the room.**  
**

"**That's from my father. Now, let's see…"**

**Malfoy dragged the cloak out from under Harry's immobilized body and threw it over him.**

"**I don't reckon they'll find you till the train's back in London," he said quietly. "See you around, Potter… or not."**

"They better have found you," said an angry Molly.**  
**

**And taking care to tread on Harry's fingers, Malfoy left the compartment.**

"Well, that's it," said Sirius grimly.

"How on earth do you manage to get out of that mess?" asked Charlie as Arthur took the book.

"Long story, but it's in the next chapter," _Harry_ assured the room.**  
**


	9. Snape Victorious

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_It's a lot of work filling out all the various applications. I would've thought things get less complicated once you enroll in a particular college, but no, there's your housing application, your academic application to figure out what classes you need to take, and I probably have a couple of other things to figure out as well._**

**_I'm sorry that this has taken so long to publish, but I have not felt like writing for the past few days, not to mention that it has been fairly stressful with several assignments due once again on the same day._**

**_I'll probably start updating faster as the pace begins to pick up, not to mention that I'm on Easter break for the next two weeks, so I should have a bit more time to write, thought I have some homework to do over this week._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's._**

Once the book was passed off, little Harry got up from the sofa and went back to Sirius. He knew that this place was safe, but he still felt the most secure in his godfather's arms. There was something about sitting in his lap that he couldn't quite place. It was as if he remembered, but at the same time, did not remember that feeling. Anyway, he loved sitting cozily with his godfather and only would leave his lap when it was Sirius' turn to read. As Mr. Weasley was now the reader, he climbed back up.

Sirius grinned as little Harry scrambled back into his lap. He loved it that his godson felt secure there. He wondered if Harry remembered all the times that he held him as an infant, but shook his head. It had been far too long for little Harry to remember something like that, but Sirius still held on to that idea.

Arthur turned the page and read the chapter title.

**Snape Victorious**

Once the book title was read, nearly everyone groaned.

"So Snape does get the job," muttered Sirius.

"Hey, at least he'll be gone by the end of the year," pointed out Bill.

"Well, that's good," said Charlie with a grin. "No more Snape!"

"I wish," muttered _Ginny_.

"You mean the jinx doesn't get him?" asked Bill.

"Not in the sense that it got everyone else," said _Ginny_. "He's only the DADA professor for a year."

"But he's still around," finished a rather depressed Charlie. He had been looking forward to Snape getting his dues.

**Harry could not move a muscle. He lay there beneath the Invisibility Cloak feeling the blood from his nose flow, hot and wet, over his face, listening to the voices and footsteps in the corridor beyond. His immediate thought was that someone would, surely check the compartments before the train departed again. But at once came the dispiriting realization that even if somebody looked into the compartment, he would be neither seen nor heard. His best hope was that somebody else would walk in and step on him.**

**Harry had never hated Malfoy more than as he lay there, like an absurd turtle on its back, **

"Once again, your descriptions are excellent," said Bill.

**blood dripping sickeningly into his open mouth. What a stupid situation to have landed himself in… and now the last few footsteps were dying away; everyone was shuffling along the dark platform outside; he could hear the scraping of trunks and loud babble of talk.**

**Ron and Hermione would think that he had left the train without them. Once they arrived at Hogwarts and took their places in the Great Hall, looked up and down the Gryffindor table a few times, and finally realized that he was not there, he, no doubt, would be halfway back to London.**

"I doubt the train would be that fast," said Charlie.

"Well, if there's no students . . ." began Bill.

"William, you are not going to figure out how fast the Hogwarts Express can go when there are no students," interrupted Molly severely.

"How'd you know what I was thinking?" asked Bill in astonishment.

"Number one, you just told me," said Molly, "and number two, I raised you."

**He tried to make a sound, even a grunt, but it was impossible. Then he remembered that some wizards, like Dumbledore, could perform spells without speaking, so he tried to summon his wand, which had fallen out of his hand, by saying the words "Accio Wand!" over and over again in his head, but nothing happened.**

"Not only are you doing silent magic, but you're also doing wandless magic," said Tonks, "and that's supposed to be almost impossible."

"He can do it though!" cried a very eager little Ron.

"It took years of work," said _Harry_ quickly as he tried to direct the attention back to the book.

"So it really is possible to perform wandless, silent magic," said Tonks in awe. "How can you do that."

_Harry_ muttered something indistinctly. He knew why. He had always had the potential of extremely powerful magic, but because he had been a Horcrux for seventeen years, his magic had been lowered. Once the Horcrux was gone though, he had risen to his full potential, thus the ability to perform wandless, silent magic. Everyone was still staring at him, so he took a deep breath and said, "Look, I'll explain why later. I think the next book might it explain it somewhat, but the story behind the ability it rather complicated."

_Ginny_ looked at him in concern. She knew what he was thinking and she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

That seemed to satisfy the majority of the room and Arthur continued to read.

**He thought he could hear the rustling of the trees that surrounded the lake, and the far-off hoot of an owl, but no hint of a search being made or even (he despised himself slightly for hoping it) panicked voices wondering where Harry Potter had gone. A feeling of hopelessness spread through him as he imagined the convoy of thestral-drawn carriages trundling up to the school and the muffled yells of laughter issuing from whichever carriage Malfoy was riding in, where he could be recounting his attack on Harry to Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson.**

**The train lurched, causing Harry to roll over onto his side. Now he was staring at the dusty underside of the seats instead of the ceiling. The floor began to vibrate as the engine roared into life. The Express was leaving and nobody knew he was still on it…**

**Then he felt his Invisibility Cloak fly off him and a voice overhead said, "Wotcher, Harry."**

"Tonks," sighed Charlie in relief.

"So that's why it was a good thing Tonks was at Hogwarts," said Percy in realization.

**There was a flash of red light and Harry's body unfroze; he was able to push himself into a more dignified sitting position, hastily wipe the blood off his bruised face with the back of his hand, and raise his head to look up at Tonks, who was holding the Invisibility Cloak she had just pulled away.**

"**We'd better get out of here, quickly," she said, as the train windows became obscured with steam and they began to move out of the station. "Come on, we'll jump."**

"I've always wanted to jump from a train," said an envious Fred.

"And you'll never do it," added Molly sternly. "It's extremely dangerous."

"Wonder what she'll say about the jumping off of the . . . You-Know-What," whispered _Ron_ in _Harry's_ ear, and causing _Harry_ to crack a grin. _Hermione_ looked on in amusement and _Ginny_ looked a bit confused. She knew the majority of the story, but not all the details. She was pretty certain that whatever they jumped off of, _Harry_ hadn't shared it with her.

Remus heard this though, and his face became paler as he wondered what the Trio had jumped off of and why they couldn't say what it was. Merlin, he hoped that it didn't have to do with any thing of danger, but knowing the Trio, it had to be dangerous.

**Harry hurried after her into the corridor. She pulled open the train door and leapt onto the platform, which seemed to be sliding underneath them as the train gathered momentum. He followed her, staggered a little on landing, then straightened up in time to see the gleaming scarlet steam engine pick up speed, round the corner, and disappear from view.**

**The cold night air was soothing on his throbbing nose. Tonks was looking at him; he felt angry and embarrassed that he had been discovered in such a ridiculous position. Silently she handed him back the Invisibility Cloak.**

"**Who did it?"**

"**Draco Malfoy," said Harry bitterly. "Thanks for… well…"**

"Rescuing you?" suggested Tonks.

"**No problem," said Tonks, without smiling.**

Tonks was looking really worried by now. What could have happened that caused this depression? Yes, the most logical guess was that it involved Sirius' death, but for some reason that didn't quite convince her.

Sirius looked at his little cousin in surprise. He had never expected Tonks to go so long without laughing or smiling, or some other action showing happiness. What on earth had happened to make her so depressed? He really hoped that it was not his death, but that was the only thing that made sense, unless . . . He quickly hid his grin with his hand. The only other possibility was that Tonks was trying to make a move on Remus and he was ignoring her. That would be a better one and he be able to yell at Moony for stupidity.

**From what Harry could see in the darkness, she was as mousy-haired and miserable-looking as she had been when he had met her at the Burrow. "I can fix your nose if you stand still."**

**Harry did not think much of this idea; he had been intending to visit Madam Pomfrey, the matron, in whom he had a little more confidence when it came to Healing Spells, but it seemed rude to say this, so he stayed stock-still and closed his eyes, "Episkey" said Tonks.**

**Harry's nose felt very hot, and then very cold. He raised a hand and felt gingerly. It seemed to be mended.**

"At least I'm capable of some things," murmured Tonks.

"You can do a lot of things," assured Charlie.

"**Thanks a lot!"**

"**You'd better put that cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school," said Tonks, still unsmiling. **

**As Harry swung the cloak back over himself, she waved her wand; an immense silvery four-legged creature erupted from it and streaked off into the darkness.**

Tonks looked curious at the description of her Patronus. She had yet to cast one, as she was only a fourth year, but she was pretty certain her Patronus would be a chameleon, as that animal seemed to fit her personality.

"**Was that a Patronus?" asked Harry, who had seen Dumbledore send messages like this.**

"**Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you or they'll worry. Come on, we'd better not dawdle."**

**They set off toward the lane that led to the school.**

"**How did you find me?"**

"**I noticed you hadn't left the train and I knew you had that cloak. I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment I thought I'd check."**

"Good deduction," said Bill.

"**But what are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.**

"**I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection," said Tonks.**

"At least you've got one decent Auror there," said Sirius.

"**Is it just you who's stationed up here, or —?"**

"**No, Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are here too."**

"Ah, they're okay, but none of them can hold a lick to Tonks," said _Ron_ proudly.

"Gee, thanks," said Tonks a bit awkwardly as she tried to morph away the blush that was settling in.

"**Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"**

"Is that the only thing he's remembered for?" asked little Ron.

"Pretty much," laughed _Harry_. "Or at least in my mind."

"**That's right."**

**They trudged up the dark, deserted lane, following the freshly made carriage tracks. Harry looked sideways at Tonks under his cloak. Last year she had been inquisitive (to the point of being a little annoying at times), she had laughed easily, she had made jokes. Now she seemed older and much more serious and purposeful. Was this all the effect of what had happened at the Ministry? He reflected uncomfortably that Hermione would have suggested he say something consoling about Sirius to her, that it hadn't been her fault at all, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was far from blaming her for Sirius's death; it was no more her fault than anyone else's (and much less than his), but he did not like talking about Sirius if he could avoid it. And so they tramped on through the cold night in silence, Tonks's long cloak whispering on the ground behind them.**

**Having always traveled there by carriage, Harry had never before appreciated just how far Hogwarts was from Hogsmeade Station. **

"It is a bit of a hike," admitted Arthur.

"How do you know that, Dad?" asked Percy curiously.

"Well son, in seventh year your mother and I stayed behind to, well, catch up," said Arthur a bit awkwardly. "We … missed the carriages and well, had to walk back."

"Oh," said a rather red Percy. He was now regretting asking the question.

**With great relief he finally saw the tall pillars on either side of the gates, each topped with a winged boar. He was cold, he was hungry and he was quite keen to leave this new, gloomy Tonks behind. But when he put out a hand to push open the gates, he found them chained shut.**

"**Alohomora!" he said confidently, pointing his wand at the padlock, but nothing happened.**

"_Harry_!" said a laughing Remus. "Did you honestly think a first-year spell would open the gates?"

"Uh, yeah," said _Harry_ hesitatingly. "It worked in first year!"

"In a place you weren't supposed to be," said Sirius sternly.

"**That won't work on these," said Tonks. "Dumbledore bewitched them himself."**

**Harry looked around, "I could climb a wall," he suggested.**

"That's an even worse idea," said Bill.

"**No, you couldn't," said Tonks flatly. "Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer."**

"So would it be possible to climb over the gates currently?" asked Charlie, with an evil glint in his eye as Molly sent a glare in his direction.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore, though his eyes were twinkling in amusement. "We can't have anyone simply climb into Hogwarts."

That statement brought gales of laughter from _Harry_ and _Ron_.

"What's funny?" asked little Ginny.

"One cannot simply walk into Mordor," said _Harry_ for explanation, but all he got were several confused looks. Dumbledore though, had a bright twinkle in his eye.

"It's just a joke going around," he explained. "You can't just walk into Mordor, like how you can't just climb into Hogwarts."

"Oh," said several people, somewhat getting the joke.

Little Hermione was shaking her head. She understood the context of the joke as she knew the story of Lord of the Rings, but she did not find the joke overly amusing.

**"Well then," said Harry, starting to feel annoyed at her lack of helpfulness, "I suppose I'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning. "**

"**Someone's coming down for you," said Tonks, "Look."**

**A lantern was bobbing at the distant foot of the castle. Harry was so pleased to see it he felt he could even endure Filch's wheezy criticisms of his tardiness and rants about how his timekeeping would improve with the regular application of thumbscrews. **

"Which never amount to anything," muttered Bill. Filch had caught him several times, and had always mumbled about some type of torture, but that never happened.

_Ginny_ shuddered slightly at her brother's comment. Filch had gotten permission to use all of the old punishment tools during the Carrow's reign. Thankfully, she hadn't been caught very often, but she knew first hand what Filch's punishments were like when allowed to do what he wanted. _Harry_ placed a hand on her knee and gently squeezed it as he smiled softly at her.

Little Hermione looked at the two curiously. Somehow or other, Bill's statement was disproved, but she knew that Dumbledore would never allow physical reprimand. Could it be that whoever succeeded Dumbledore allowed it? But, if _Ginny_ knew about it, then that meant that Dumbledore's successor came while _Ginny_ was at school, which meant he came in the next two years, meaning that Dumbledore would die within either this book or the next book.

**It was not until the glowing yellow light was ten feet away from them, and had pulled off his Invisibility Cloak so that he could be seen, that he recognized, with a rush of pure loathing, the uplit hooked nose and long, black, greasy hair of Severus Snape.**

"Of all people," groaned Sirius.

**"Well, well, well," sneered Snape, taking out his wand and tapping the padlock once, so that the chains snaked backward and the gates creaked open. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance."**

"**I couldn't change, I didn't have my —" Harry began, but Snape cut across him.**

"**There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter is quite — ah — safe in my hands."**

"I beg to differ," muttered Sirius.

"**I meant Hagrid to get the message," said Tonks, frowning.**

"**Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," said Snape, standing back to allow Harry to pass him, "I was interested to see your new Patronus."**

"New Patronus?" questioned little Ron. "How can a Patronus change?"

"If someone has a great emotional change," explained Harry. "Normally it involves love, but grief can change a Patronus as well."

"Oh," said little Ron, but he was still slightly confused.

"What was my original Patronus?" asked Tonks curiously.

"A chameleon," answered _Harry_ causing Tonks to grin. "You'll find out what your new Paronus is soon."

**He shut the gates in her face with a loud clang and tapped the chains with his wand again, so that they slithered, clinking, back into place.**

**"I think you were better off with the old one," said Snape, the malice in his voice unmistakable. "The new one looks weak."**

"It's something Snape hates, so that should narrow it down," added Charlie.

"Snape hates a lot of things though," pointed out Fred.

"Now, you have not yet met Professor Snape," said Dumbledore calmly. "Please refrain from judgeing him until you have met him."

"Oh, all right," muttered Fred.

"Frederick!" reprimanded Molly. "That is no way to speak to Professor Dumbledore."

"Sorry, Professor," apologized Fred, "but it's just that Snape acts like an idiot in the books."

Dumbledore sighed. He could see where Fred was coming from, and yes, Snape did act like an idiot at points. He had already had a talk with Snape and hoped that he could get him to treat the students a little more fairly. He could not sack Snape though, and was still curious on why he was allowing Severus to take the DADA position. He was certain that had to be the victory mentioned in the chapter title.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. If his guess about Tonks' depression was correct, the Patronus could easily be Remus as Patronuses could change to reflect the person the caster loved. If so, than Snape was saying Remus' was week.

**As Snape swung the lantern about, Harry saw, fleetingly, a look of shock and anger on Tonks's face. Then she was covered in darkness once more.**

**"Good night," Harry called to her over his shoulder, as he began the walk up to the school with Snape. "Thanks for… everything,"**

"**See you, Harry."**

**Snape did not speak for a minute or so. Harry felt as though his body was generating waves of hatred so powerful that it seemed incredible that Snape could not feel them burning him. He had loathed Snape from their first encounter, but Snape had placed himself forever and irrevocably beyond the possibility of Harry's forgiveness by his attitude toward Sirius. **

_Harry_ sighed. He had forgiven Snape. It had taken a lot of time on both sides, but he was thankful that he had made up with the man.

**Whatever Dumbledore said, Harry had had time to think over the summer, and had concluded that Snape's snide remarks to Sirius about remaining safely hidden while the rest of the Order of the Phoenix were off fighting Voldemort had probably been a powerful factor in Sirius rushing off to the Ministry the night that he had died. **

"_Harry_, I wouldn't let them get to me in that sense," assured Sirius.

"I know," _Harry_ admitted quietly. "But I needed someone to blame as, well, I . . ." _Harry_ fumbled for words as he tried to figure out how to word his sentence.

"Harry, you're not to blame," said Sirius firmly. "I've already told you this several times and I know you believe it."

"I do," replied _Harry_ quickly, "it's just that, well, I believed I was, was to blame for so long that, that I can't wrap my head around the fact that it's not my fault."

"Oh, Harry," sighed Sirius. "You're too quick to blame yourself. It takes a long time to forgive yourself in an incident like what happened at the Ministry. Really, it's entirely mine and Bellatrix's fault about what happened, and I am going to do my hardest with avoiding that veil this time around."

_Harry_ managed a small smile, then said, "Sirius, how long did it take you before you realized that well, you weren't to blame for, what happened to, to my parents?"

Sirius' face suddenly lost its colour. He had not been expecting that sort of question from Harry. Little Harry too looked up at Sirius in curiosity."Well, that part didn't take too long for me to realize. What is hard is to stop blaming myself for being an idiot. If I hadn't gone after Pettigrew, I could've raised you from the start, instead of now." He rubbed little Harry's head. "I know it's going to take a long time to heal from that part and I don't know if I ever will, but I do know that Lily and James' deaths aren't my fault." The last part was said barely above a whisper, so that _Harry_ had a bit of trouble understanding his godfather.

He stood up and hugged Sirius. "Thanks, Sirius," he said quietly. Sirius hugged him back, and _Harry_ went back to his seat, feeling even lighter. He knew in his head he wasn't to blame, he just had to learn to believe it.

**Harry clung to this notion, because it enabled him to blame Snape, which felt satisfying, and also because he knew that if anyone was not sorry that Sirius was dead, it was the man now striding next to him in the darkness.**

"**Fifty points from Gryffindor for lateness, I think," said Snape. "And, let me see, another twenty for your Muggle attire. You know, I don't believe any House has ever been in negative figures this early in the term: We haven't even started pudding. You might have set a record, Potter."**

"I'm afraid that that has happened before," said Dumbledore, though his eyes were twinkling.

"Oh yeah, the year we . . ." began Remus.

"Don't say it!" cried a rather panicked Sirius.

Remus smirked in Sirius direction. "This is payback for the times when you continued a story I told you to stop saying," he said with a grin and he continued. "The year we rigged up a bunch of fireworks in the Hogwarts express and timed them to go off at certain intervals throughout the trip. I believe we were around negative one-hundred by the time the feast started."

"What year was that?" asked a laughing Tonks.

"Fourth year," answered Remus. "You should've seen Lily's face. She was livid."

"Not to mention Minnie's," said Sirius and continued in a near perfect version of McGonagall's tone, "POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

"Gotta love McGonagall," agreed Charlie.

"I just hope she doesn't retire on the mere fact of James entering Hogwarts," said _Harry_. "She did threaten to do it when she came over soon after the birth."

"McGonagall came to your house?" asked Bill in surprise.

"You cannot miss welcoming the first-born of your favorite student," said _Ginny_ in a very serious tone.

"_Gin_, I think we've been over this before," said _Harry_. "I'm not Minerva's favorite student. I caused too much trouble."

"Yes, but not deliberately," _Ginny_ pointed out. "It found you."

"Dad, can you keep reading?" _Harry_ asked. "I don't want to have this discussion at the present moment." Ginny glared at him for this statement, but chose not to say anything.

"Sure, _Harry_," said Arthur.

**The fury and hatred bubbling inside Harry seemed to blaze white-hot, but he would rather have been immobilized all the way back to London than tell Snape why he was late.**

"**I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you?" Snape continued. "And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall halfway through the feast ought to create a dramatic effect."**

"Does he ever figure out that you hate attention?" asked an exasperated Sirius.

"Eventually," said _Harry_ slowly. That was sort of the truth as Snape's portrait had apologized for the way he had treated Harry in life.

**Still Harry remained silent, though he thought his chest might explode. He knew that Snape had come to fetch him for this, for the few minutes when he could needle and torment Harry without anyone else listening.**

"Or else make certain I got to the castle safely," thought _Harry_, as he know knew the correct reason.

**They reached the castle steps at last and as the great oaken front doors swung open into the vast flagged entrance hall, a burst of talk and laughter and of tinkling plates and glasses greeted them through the doors standing open into the Great Hail. Harry wondered whether he could slip his Invisibility Cloak back on, thereby gaining his seat at the long Gryffindor table (which, inconveniently, was the farthest from the entrance hall) without being noticed. As though he had read Harry's mind, however, Snape said, "No cloak. You can walk in so that everyone sees you, which is what you wanted, I'm sure."**

"Shut up," growled Sirius.

**Harry turned on the spot and marched straight through the open doors: anything to get away from Snape. The Great Hall with its four long House tables and its staff table set at the top of the room was decorated as usual with floating candles that made the plates below glitter and glow. It was all a shimmering blur to Harry, however, who walked so fast that he was passing the Hufflepuff table before people really started to stare, and by the time they were standing up to get a good look at him, he had spotted Ron and Hermione, sped along the benches toward them, and forced his way in between them.**

"**Where've you — blimey, what've you done to your face?" said Ron, goggling at him along with everyone else in the vicinity.**

"Is that the first thing you have to ask?" asked Fred.

"What would you say if your best friend turned up covered in blood?" retorted _Ron_, before realizing that this scenario had actually happened when George had lost his ear.

Fred looked quickly at George and said, "Prob'bly 'How do you feel'."

_Ron_ raised his eyebrows slightly. That was exactly what his mother had said, but he knew that if Fred had been able to, he would've been the one to ask that question.

**"Why, what's wrong with it?" said Harry, grabbing a spoon and squinting at his distorted reflection.**

"**You're covered in blood!" said Hermione.**

"Why didn't I do that?" wondered Tonks.

"I think you were a bit distracted," _Harry_ answered. "Don't worry, _Hermione_ took care of it."

**"Come here —"**

**She raised her wand, said "Tergeo!" and siphoned off the dried blood.**

"**Thanks," said Harry, feeling his now clean face. "How's my nose looking?**

**"Normal," said Hermione anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened? We've been terrified!"**

"**I'll tell you later," said Harry curtly. He was very conscious that Ginny, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were listening in; even Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had come floating along the bench to eavesdrop.**

"Okay, if Nick hadn't shown up, I'd probably have told, but the last person you want around when telling a secret is a ghost," admitted _Harry_.

"**But —" said Hermione.**

"**Not now, Hermione," said Harry, in a darkly significant voice. He hoped very much that they would all assume he had been involved in something heroic, preferably involving a couple of Death Eaters and a dementor. Of course, Malfoy would spread the story as wide as he could, but there was always a chance it wouldn't reach too many Gryffindor ears.**

'I don't know," said Sirius. "There's hardly such a thing as a secret at Hogwarts."

"Hem hem," said _Ginny_, and several people looked at her with a bit of fear on their faces.

"Uh, Gin, please don't do that," said _Harry_.

_Ginny_ simply grinned. "You three have found several secrets," she pointed out. "The Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirements to name two."

Remus smiled softly at Ginny's pronouncement. "James would be really annoyed at you and really proud of you at the same time. Annoyed because you found secret places he didn't and proud because you're carrying on the Marauder legacy."

"I didn't deliberately look for trouble, unlike you," he pointed out.

"Yes, but you still found trouble," said Sirius, "and that's what counts."

**He reached across Ron for a couple of chicken legs and a handful of chips, but before he could take them they vanished, to be replaced with puddings.**

"**You missed the Sorting, anyway," said Hermione, as Ron dived for a large chocolate gateau.**

"You really have an uncanny ability to miss most Sortings," commented _Ginny_.

"I only missed half of them!" defended _Harry_.

"Four out of seven is not half," said Hermione pointedly.

"Wait, you miss next years sorting also?" asked Sirius.

"Uh, yeah," said _Harry_. "And you'll see why in the next book."

"You need to learn what a watch is," said Remus.

"I do have a watch," said _Harry_ as he held up his left arm and showed the watch he had gotten from Molly on his seventeenth birthday.

"**Hat say anything interesting?" asked Harry, taking a piece of treacle tart.**

"**More of the same, really… advising us all to unite in the face enemies, you know."**

"We must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang separately," said little Hermione quietly.

"What?" asked a confused little Ginny.

"It's a quote from Benjamen Franklin," said little Hermione. "A great Muggle inventor."

"Actually Franklin was a wizard," said Dumbledore. "He lived as a Muggle most of his life, but later was Headmaster at Salem Witches Academy for quite some time."

"Really?" asked little Harry and little Hermione in surprise.

"He did survive a lighting strike," said little Hermione. "That makes more sense now."

"How many other supposed Muggles actually were wizards?" wondered little Harry.

"I can't recall any at the moment," said Arthur, "but we'll give you the history lesson later."

"**Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort at all?"**

"**Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast doesn't he? It can't be long now."**

"**Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast —"**

"**You've seen Snape? How come?" said Ron between frenzied mouthfuls of gateau.**

"I'm hungry," announced little Ron.

"You just ate!" said little Hermione.

"Ron's stomach is a bottomless pit," said George.

"All Weasley boys have a bottomless pit for a stomach," corrected Tonks.

"**Bumped into him," said Harry evasively.**

"**Hagrid was only a few minutes late," said Hermione. "Look, he's waving at you, Harry."**

**Harry looked up at the staff table and grinned at Hagrid, who was indeed waving at him. Hagrid had never quite managed to comport himself with the dignity of Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, the top of whose head came up to somewhere between Hagrid's elbow and shoulder as they were sitting side by side, and who was looking disapprovingly at this enthusiastic greeting. Harry was surprised to see the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, sitting on Hagrid's other side; she rarely left her tower room, and he had never seen her at the start-of-term feast before. She looked as odd as ever, glittering with beads and trailing shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size by her spectacles. Having always considered her a bit of a fraud, Harry had been shocked to discover at the end of the previous term that it had been she who had made the prediction that caused Lord Voldemort to kill Harry's parents and attack Harry himself. **

**The knowledge made him even less eager to find himself in her company, thankfully, this year he would be dropping Divination.**

"Good," said Sirius proudly.

"Not that you could've continued it anyways," pointed out Charlie.

**Her great beaconlike eyes swiveled in his direction; he hastily looked away toward the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was miming the shatterering of a nose to raucous laughter and applause. Harry dropped his gaze to his treacle tart, his insides burning again. What he would give to fight Malfoy one-on-one…**

"**So what did Professor Slughorn want?" Hermione asked.**

"**To know what really happened at the Ministry," said Harry.**

"**Him and everyone else here," sniffed Hermione. "People were interrogating us about it on the train, weren't they, Ron?"**

"**Yeah," said Ron. "All wanting to know if you really are 'the Chosen One' —"**

"**There has been much talk on that very subject even amongst the ghosts," interrupted Nearly Headless Nick, inclining his barely connected head toward Harry so that it wobbled dangerously on its ruff. "I am considered something of a Potter authority; it is widely known that we are friendly. I have assured the spirit community that I will not pester you for information, however. 'Harry Potter knows that he can confide in me with complete confidence,' I told them. 'I would rather die than betray his trust.'"**

"He's already dead though," said little Ron.

Arthur had a hard time stifling a laugh as he read the next sentence.

"**That's not saying much, seeing as you're already dead," Ron observed.**

"_Ron_," groaned Bill. "A little tact please."

"Not to mention, you don't change," added Charlie cheekily.

"**Once again, you show all the sensitivity of a blunt axe," said Nearly Headless Nick in affronted tones, and he rose into the air and glided back toward the far end of the Gryffindor table just as Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly.**

"**The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room.**

"**What happened to his hand?" gasped Hermione.**

"So it's still blackened," murmured Molly worriedly.

"What caused it?" asked George.

"Well, it can't be fixed by Madam Pomfrey or Snape, so it has to do with Dark Curses," said Bill, "but I can't figure out anything more specific than that."

**She was not the only one who had noticed. Dumbledore's right hand was as blackened and dead-looking as it had been on the night he had come to fetch Harry from the Dursleys. Whispers it the room; Dumbledore, interpreting them correctly, merely smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve over his injury.**

**"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you…"**

"**His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer," Harry whispered to Hermione. "I thought he'd have cured it by now, though… or Madam Pomfrey would've done."**

"**It looks as if it's died," said Hermione, with a nauseated expression. "But there are some injuries you can't cure… old curses… and there are poisons without antidotes…"**

"… **and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.**

"Oh come one!" cried Fred in annoyance.

"You do know that it means everyone will buy your products," said Bill with a grin. "Are they ever going to figure out that banning items makes everyone want it?"

"You did not need to tell them that," sighed Molly.

"**Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.**

**"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn"— Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table into shadow — "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."**

"I'll bet that caused a surprise," said Tonks.

"**Potions?"**

"**Potions?"**

"You don't need to repeat yourself, Dad," said George.

"Son, that's what it's like in the book," said Arthur quietly.

**The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered wheel they had heard right.**

"**Potions?" said Ron and Hermione together, turning to stare Harry. "But you said —"**

"**Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."**

Even though they knew it, the entire room let out a groan. Well, Molly, Arthur, and Dumbledore did not groan.

"**No!" said Harry, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction. He did not care; he was staring up at the staff table, incensed. How could Snape be given the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after all this time? Hadn't it been widely known for years that Dumbledore did not trust him to do it?**

"No, it's not that I don't trust Severus," said Dumbldore slowly, "but it is rather because the correct time has not come. I must know that it's the correct time when 1996 arrives."

"What do you mean?" asked Neville.

"I have a reason for not allowing Severus to take the DADA job," said Dumbledore. "It is because of this reason that I cannot risk loosing him, even though not all of the DADA professors have died, I cannot risk that happening."

"**But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" said Hermione.**

"**I thought he was!" said Harry, racking his brains to remember when Dumbledore had told him this, but now that he came to think of it, he was unable to recall Dumbledore ever telling him what Slughorn would be teaching.**

**Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up his mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table, yet Harry was sure he could detect a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much.**

"**Well, there's one good thing," he said savagely. "Snape'll be gone by the end of the year."**

"**What do you mean?" asked Ron.**

**"That job's jinxed. No ones lasted more than a year… Quirrell actually died doing it… Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death…"**

"_Harry James Potter_!" scolded Remus severely. "As much as you dislike Snape, you should never wish him dead."

_Harry_ suddenly found himself attacked by two slaps coming from _Ron_ and _Ginny_. _Hermione_ would've slapped him, but she held a sleeping Rose in her arms.

"Ow!" he cried. "I know I was an idiot to think that!"

"Good," said _Ginny_ firmly. "Especially considering the name we're thinking of for this little chap." She placed her hand on her stomach and looked at Harry.

"Yes, dear," said _Harry_ automatically. Arthur laughed at the two and continued to read.

"**Harry!" said Hermione, shocked and reproachful.**

"**He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year," said Ron reasonably. "That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay long-term. Moody didn't."**

"How long did Slughorn stick around for?" asked Sirius.

"He was there for a few years," said Harry. "I think his last year was the year of 1998-1999."

"So Snape did not get his Potions job back," said a grinning Bill. "I hope he left at the end of the year."

"But he's still around," said a very confused Percy. "_Ginny_ said that he didn't leave."

"Maybe he got stuck in the hospital wing for the next year," grinned Fred.

"That might fit the criteria," agreed Bill, but he was pretty certain that was not it.

**Dumbledore cleared his throat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not the only ones who had been talking; the whole Hall had erupted in a buzz of conversation at the news that Snape had finally achieved his heart's desire. Seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, Dumbledore said nothing more about staff appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.**

"**Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."**

**The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke. Harry glanced at Malfoy. Malfoy was not looking at Dumbledore, but making his fork hover in midair with his wand, as though he found the headmaster's words unworthy of his attention.**

"Git," muttered Sirius.

"I think you've made your point there," said Remus.

**"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately.**

"Which _Harry_ will obviously not do," said Bill pointedly.

"Please tell me you ask for help," begged Molly.

"Sort of," said _Harry_. Dumbledore had taught him about what he needed to do in order to fight Voldemort, but he hadn't really asked for help. It also didn't help that no one believed his theory that year.

Molly sighed, hoping that Harry hadn't gone and put himself in danger again this year.

**I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."**

**Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.**

"**But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"**

**With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories. Harry, who was in no hurry at all to leave with the gawping crowd, nor to get near enough to Malfoy to allow him to retell the story of the nose-stamping, lagged behind, pretending to retie the lace on his trainer, allowing most of Gryffindors to draw ahead of him. Hermione had darted ahead to fulfill her prefect's duty of shepherding the first years, but Ron remained with Harry.**

"Shouldn't _Ron_ go and help _Hermione_?" asked Charlie.

"I could handle it, plus there were the fifth and seventh year Prefects," said _Hermione_. "_Harry_ needed _Ron_ at that point."

"**What really happened to your nose?" he asked, once they were at the very back of the throng pressing out of the Hall, and out of earshot of anyone else.**

**Harry told him. It was a mark of the strength of their friendship that Ron did not laugh.**

"Where is the amusement in a scene like that anyway?" asked Percy.

"Where only a Malfoy can see it," answered Remus.

"**I saw Malfoy miming something to do with a nose," he said darkly.**

**"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry bitterly. "Listen to what he was saying before he found out I was there…"**

**Harry had expected Ron to be stunned by Malfoys boasts. With what Harry considered pure pigheadedness, however, Ron was unimpressed.**

"**Come on, Harry, he was just showing off for Parkinson… What kind of mission would You-Know-Who have given him?"**

"An important one," muttered _Ron_. He still hated Malfoy for the entire incident with the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.

"**How d'you know Voldemort doesn't need someone at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be the first —"**

"**I wish yeh'd stop sayin' tha name, Harry," said a reproachful voice behind them. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Hagrid shaking his head.**

"That's never gonna work," said Charlie.

"**Dumbledore uses that name," said Harry stubbornly.**

**"Yeah, well, tha's Dumbledore, innit?" said Hagrid mysteriously. "So how come yeh were late, Harry? I was worried."**

"**Got held up on the train," said Harry. "Why were you late?"**

"**I was with Grawp," said Hagrid happily. "Los' track o' the time. He's got a new home up in the mountains now, Dumbledore fixed it — nice big cave. He's much happier than he was in the forest. We were havin' a good chat."**

"Can he actually speak English?" asked Bill.

"Enough that you can have a simple conversation with," explained _Harry_.

"**Really?" said Harry, taking care not to catch Ron's eye; the last time he had met Hagrid's half-brother, a vicious giant with a talent for ripping up trees by the roots, his vocabulary had comprised five words, two of which he was unable to pronounce properly.**

"And he still calls me that," muttered _Hermione_.

"It's okay, Hermy," said _Ron_.

"_Ronald_!" shouted _Hermione_.

"**Oh yeah, he's really come on," said Hagrid proudly. "Yeh'll be amazed. I'm thinkin' o' trainin' him up as me assistant."**

**Ron snorted loudly, but managed to pass it off as a violent sneeze. They were now standing beside the oak front doors.**

"**Anyway, I'll see yeh tomorrow, firs' lesson's straight after lunch. Come early an' yeh can say hello ter Buck — I mean, Witherwings!"**

"Don't mess that up," winced Charlie.

"It's fine, Buckbeak is still doing well," assured _Harry_. Charlie sighed in relief.

**Raising an arm in cheery farewell, he headed out of the doors into the darkness.**

**Harry and Ron looked at each other. Harry could tell that Ron was experiencing the same sinking feeling as himself.**

"**You're not taking Care of Magical Creatures, are you?"**

**Ron shook his head. "And you're not either, are you?"**

**Harry shook his head too.**

**"And Hermione," said Ron, "she's not, is she?"**

**Harry shook his head again. Exactly what Hagrid would say when he realized his three favorite students had given up his subject, he did not like to think.**

"He'll not be pleased, that's for certain," winced Charlie.

"That's it," said Arthur. "Who's next in the reading order?"

"I am," answered Bill as he took the book from his dad.

* * *

**_Sarah: Thanks for the review. I'm sorry you feel that way about little Harry and little Hermione. Little Harry is just now coming to terms with how wrong the Dursleys were and is simply realizing how horrible they were to him. As for little Hermione, I know she's a bit annoying, but I'm trying to write her as she would probably act at age eight. Remember, she was pretty horrible to Luna when they first met in the books. She'll get over those feelings soon though._**

**_Furionknight: Thanks for the review._**

**_Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. And that is definitely agreed._**

**_RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. School seems to be killing me too at times._**

**_PADFOOT: Thanks for the review. The Weasleys already know about the next gen. I mentioned it a couple of stories earlier. They now know more about the ages though._**

* * *

**_I don't know where I first heard the theory of Benjamin Franklin being a wizard, but I really like it._**


	10. The HalfBlood Prince

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_I'm going on vacation tomorrow through Thursday. I will be taking my computer, so hopefully I can get some writing done in the car, but when I'm at my sister's place, it will be busy.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's._**

"I guess we find out more about the Prince," said Bill and he read the title.**  
**

**The Half-Blood Prince**

Dumbledore looked up in surprise. Did _Harry_ find out about Severus' nickname? Of course, the book had the same title, but the chapter wouldn't be title as such unless there was a reason.

**Harry and Ron met Hermione in the common room before breakfast next morning. Hoping for some support in his theory, Harry lost no time in telling Hermione what he had overheard Malfoy saying on the Hogwarts Express.**

"**But he was obviously showing off for Parkinson, wasn't he?" interjected Ron quickly, before Hermione could say anything.**

_"_**_Well,"_ she said uncertainly, "I don't know… It would be like Malfoy to make himself seem more important than he is… but that's a big lie to tell…"**

"Which is why it has to be true," said Percy.**  
**

"**Exactly," said Harry, but he could not press the point, because so many people were trying to listen in to his conversation, not to mention staring at him and whispering behind their hands.**

**"It's rude to point," Ron snapped at a particularly minuscule first-year boy as they joined the queue to climb out of the portrait hole. The boy, who had been muttering something about Harry behind his hand to his friend, promptly turned scarlet and toppled out of the hole in alarm. **

"Mark," said _Harry_ with a laugh. "He later told me that he was trying to figure out how to explain to me that we were second cousins, but he never had the guts to do it until after my graduation."

"What's he do now?" asked Sirius.

"He's currently working for the _Daily Prophet_, ensuring that correct information is published," said _Harry_. "I'm not exactly certain what his next goal is though."

"I'm really glad that you were able to find a blood relative," said _Ginny_ softly.

"Yeah," agreed Harry, "though I do wish I had found him sooner."

"Why did the Evans not contact you earlier?" asked Sirius. "Surely they would've."

Harry sighed. "They thought I had died in the 'car crash'," he explained. "It wasn't until they found out about the magical world, that they found out I had lived. Then, with one thing and another, it was impossible to get together until after I was finished at Hogwarts."

"What happened?" asked Molly, her mind going through several different scenario's, each one worse than the other. From hints that had been dropped, she knew that the next year was difficult for Muggle-borns, so the calmest scenario was that Mark had been unable to go to Hogwarts, but she was certain that there had to be more than just that.

**Ron sniggered. "I love being a sixth year. And were going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods when we can just sit up here and relax."**

"There's nothing relaxing about those periods," said Bill. "Sixth year is a lot of work."**  
**

"**We're going to need that time for studying, Ron!" said Hermione, as they set off down the corridor.**

"**Yeah, but not today," said Ron. "Today's going to be a real loss, I reckon."**

"**Hold it!" said Hermione, throwing out an arm and halting a passing fourth year, who was attempting to push past her with a lime-green disk clutched tightly in his hand. "Fanged Frisbees banned, hand it over," she told him sternly. **

"And that is being a proper Prefect," finished _Hermione_.

"And one that everyone hates," added Bill. "You have to give some leniency, but still have a sense of power to gain respect."

**The scowling boy handed over the snarling Frisbee, ducked under her arm, and took off after his friends. Ron waited for him to vanish, then tugged the Frisbee from Hermione's grip.**

"**Excellent, I've always wanted one of these."**

"_Ronald_!" shouted Molly, but the boys were all laughing. Even Percy looked slightly amused.**  
**

**Hermione's remonstration was drowned by a loud giggle; Lavender Brown had apparently found Ron's remark highly amusing. She continued to laugh as she passed them, glancing back at Ron over her shoulder. Ron looked rather pleased with himself.**

**The ceiling of the Great Hall was serenely blue and streaked with frail, wispy clouds, just like the squares of sky visible through the high mullioned windows. While they tucked into porridge and eggs and bacon, Harry and Ron told Hermione about their embarrassing conversation with Hagrid the previous evening.**

"**But he can't really think we'd continue Care of Magical Creatures!" she said, looking distressed. "I mean, when has any of us expressed… you know… any enthusiasm?"**

"Buckbeak?" questioned Charlie.

"Besides that," said _Ron_ quickly.**  
**

"**That's it, though, innit?" said Ron, swallowing an entire fried egg whole. "We were the ones who made the most effort in classes because we like Hagrid. But he thinks we liked the stupid subject. D'ya reckon anyone's going to go on to N.E.W.T.?"**

**Neither Harry nor Hermione answered; there was no need. They knew perfectly well that nobody in their year would want to continue Care of Magical Creatures. They avoided Hagrid's eye and returned his cheery wave only half-heartedly when he left the staff table ten minutes later.**

"Wait, so no one got a NEWT in CoMC that year?" asked Charlie in surprise.

"No," said _Hermione_ sadly. "Several students since then have continued though, once Hagrid figured out the best way to teach that is."**  
**

**After they had eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting Professor McGonagall's descent from the staff table. The distribution of class schedules was more complicated than usual this year, for Professor McGonagall needed first to confirm that everybody had achieved the necessary O.W.L. grades to continue with their chosen N.E.W.T.s.**

**Hermione was immediately cleared to continue with Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions, **

"Seven?" asked Bill in surprise. "I'm barely surviving with six classes."**  
**

**and shot off to a first period Ancient Runes class without further ado. Neville took a little longer to sort out; his round face was anxious as Professor McGonagall looked down his application and then consulted his O.W.L results.**

"**Herbology, fine," she said. "Professor Sprout will be delighted to see you back with an 'Outstanding' O.W.L. And you qualify for Defense Against the Dark Arts with 'Exceeds Expectations.' But the problem is Transfiguration. I'm sorry, Longbottom, but an 'Acceptable' really isn't good enough to continue to N.E.W.T. level. Just don't think you'd be able to cope with the coursework."**

Neville sighed dejectedly. He didn't really like Transfiguration, but his Gran had told him many times he needed to do well in that subject.**  
**

**Neville hung his head. Professor McGonagall peered at him through her square spectacles.**

"**Why do you want to continue with Transfiguration, anyway? I've never had the impression that you particularly enjoyed it."**

**Neville looked miserable and muttered something about "my grandmother wants."**

"You can't always do what your grandmother wants," said Sirius. "Now, you should obey her, but when it comes to the classes you want to take, do what you want to do."

"Why, Sirius, that's wonderful advise," said Remus in surprise.

"That's the only reason I took Muggle Studies," grinned Sirius. "I knew my mother would hate it."

"And you didn't want to make a fool of yourself after the incident in your first year," added Remus.

"Don't bring that up again," groaned Sirius.

"**Hmph," snorted Professor McGonagall. "It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have - particularly after what happened at the Ministry."**

**Neville turned very pink and blinked confusedly; Professor McGonagall had never paid him a compliment before.**

"**I'm sorry, Longbottom, but I cannot let you into my N.E.W.T. class. I see that you have an 'Exceeds Expectations' in Charm however - why not try for a N.E.W.T. in Charms?"**

"**My grandmother thinks Charms is a soft option," mumbled Neville.**

"**Take Charms," said Professor McGonagall, "and I shall drop Augusta a line reminding her that just because she failed her Charms O.W.L.,**

Neville looked up in surprise. "Gran failed her Charms OWL? he asked in surprise.

"Yes," answered Dumbledore, "and she's disliked that subject since then."

"Wow," said Neville quietly.**  
**

** the subject is not necessarily worthless." Smiling slightly at the look of delighted incredulity on Neville's face, Professor McGonagall tapped a blank schedule with the tip of her wand and handed it, now carrying details of his new classes, to Neville.**

**Professor McGonagall turned next to Parvati Patil, whose first question was whether Firenze, the handsome centaur, was still teaching Divination.**

"**He and Professor Trelawney are dividing classes between them this year," said Professor McGonagall, a hint of disapproval in her voice; it was common knowledge that she despised the subject of Divination. "The sixth year is being taken by Professor Trelawney."**

**Parvati set off for Divination five minutes later looking slightly crestfallen.**

"I think the only reason she wanted to continue was so Firenze could teach her," explained _Hermione_.**  
**

"**So, Potter, Potter…" said Professor McGonagall, consulting her notes as she turned to Harry. "Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration… all fine. I must say, I was pleased with your Transfiguration mark, Potter, very pleased. Now, why haven't you applied to continue with Potions? I thought it was your ambition to become an Auror?"**

"**It was, but you told me I had to get an 'Outstanding' in my O.W.L., Professor."**

"**And so you did when Professor Snape was teaching the subject. Professor Slughorn, however, is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T. students with 'Exceeds Expectations' at O.W.L. **

"Which is why the amount of students applying to be Aurors has dropped considerably since 1981," said Percy. "So few students get the required NEWTs because of the Potions requirement."**  
**

**Do you wish to proceed with Potions?"**

"**Yes," said Harry, "but I didn't buy the books or any ingredients or anything-"**

"You should be able to borrow supplies from the school for a time," said Dumbledore. "We have to be prepared for basically anything, so there's always a couple of extra textbooks lying around."**  
**

"**I'm sure Professor Slughorn will be able to lend you some," said Professor McGonagall. **

**"Very well, Potter, here is your schedule. Oh, by the way- twenty hopefuls have already put down their names for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I shall pass the list to you in due course and you can fix up trials at your leisure."**

"Were any of them any good?" asked Sirius eagerly.

"A few were, but the majority were pretty bad," admitted _Harry_. "I ended up with a decent team though." He grinned at _Ron_ and _Ginny_.**  
**

**A few minutes later, Ron was cleared to do the same subjects as Harry, and the two of them left the table together.**

"**Look," said Ron delightedly, gazing at his schedule, "we've got a free period now… and a free period after break… and after lunch… excellent."**

"Sorry Ron, but that's only fun the first day," said Bill. "Later on, you'll practically have work coming out of your ears, there's so much of it."

**They returned to the common room, which was empty apart from a half dozen seventh years, including Katie Bell, the only remaining member of the original Gryffindor Quidditch team that Harry had joined in his first year.**

"So, you were ze baby of ze Quidditch team," said Fleur.

"You could put it that way," admitted _Harry_.

"I think that's true," said _Ginny_ with a grin. "You were scrawny and a first year, both factors working against you, and thus sort of making you into the baby of the team."

"Oi!"**  
**

"**I thought you'd get that, well done," she called over, pointing at the Captains badge on Harry's chest. "Tell me when you call trials!"**

"**Don't be stupid," said Harry, "you don't need to try out, I watched you play for five years…"**

"**You mustn't start off like that," she said warningly. "For all you know, there's someone much better than me out there. Good teams have been ruined before now because Captains just kept playing the old faces, or letting in their friends…"**

"Ouch," winced Tonks.

Little Ron shifted uncomfortably. Surely Katie didn't mean him.

"She didn't mean you," assured _Harry_. "You're one of the best Keepers out there." Little Ron nodded in understanding, but he still wasn't sure if he was as good as _Harry_ kept saying he was.

**Ron looked a little uncomfortable and began playing with the Fanged Frisbee Hermione had taken from the fourth-year student. It zoomed around the common room, snarling and attempting to take bites of the tapestry. Crookshanks's yellow eyes followed it and he hissed when it came too close.**

"That's because Fanged Frisbees are infested with Lenaskiens," said Luna.

**An hour later they reluctantly left the sunlit common room for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom four floors below. Hermione was already queuing outside, carrying an armful of heavy books and looking put-upon.**

"**We got so much homework for Runes," she said anxiously when Harry and Ron joined her. "A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and I've got to read these by Wednesday!"**

"Don't take so many classes," advised Tonks.

"Says the person who's going to be an Aurur," muttered Fred.

"**Shame," yawned Ron.**

"**You wait," she said resentfully. "I bet Snape gives us loads."**

**The classroom door opened as she spoke, and Snape stepped into the corridor, his sallow face framed as ever by two curtains of greasy black hair. Silence fell over the queue immediately.**

"**Inside," he said.**

**Harry looked around as they entered. Snape had imposed his personality upon the room already; it was gloomier than usual, as curtains had been drawn over the windows, and was lit by candlelight. New pictures adorned the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body parts.**

Nearly everyone shuddered in horror.

"Those pictures didn't do them justice," said _Ron_ quietly as the other three time travelers nodded in agreement.

"They're probably showing various curses," said Sirius. "Mad-eye had them all over his office."**  
**

** Nobody spoke as they settled down, looking around at the shadowy, gruesome pictures.**

"**I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk; Hermione hastily dropped her copy of _Confronting the Faceless_ back into her bag and stowed it under her chair. "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."**

"At least it sounds like you're having a practical class," said Remus.**  
**

**His black eyes roved over their upturned faces, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on Harry's than anyone else's.**

"**You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe."**

"It's obvious," said Tonks in a near perfect imitation of Snape's voice. "You have been here five years and because of the jinx, there have been five teachers."

"Do not do that ever again," said a slightly shaken Charlie.

"is that what Snape sounds like?" asked George with wide eyes.

"Professor Snape," said Dumbledore, "and yes, he does sound very close to Miss Tonks impersonation."

"I never want him for my professor," said a slightly shaken Fred.**  
**

**_You believe… like you haven't watched them all come and go, hoping you'd be next_, thought Harry scathingly.**

"You mean 'be the teacher'," said little Hermione. "Not leave."

"Are you going to point out all the incorrect grammar?" asked little Harry.

"Only when it is necessary," replied little Hermione.**  
**

**"Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject.**

"It was only thanks to _Harry_ that so many students did advance to NEWTs," said _Hermione_, "though you gave us an excellent foundation, Remus."

"It's fine," assured Remus. "_Harry_ was there, I wasn't. Naturally, he's the one responsible."

"But you taught me practically everything I knew about Defense," pointed out _Harry_, "except for what I learned with _Ron_ and _Hermione_."**  
**

** I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be more advanced."**

"Oh they will," assured Sirius. "Students who take NEWTs take classes they actually want, plus they're more determined since they know Voldemort is back."

**Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view. "The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."**

**Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice?**

"I told you he was a Death Eater," Sirius growled under his breath.

"Sirius, I must ask you to refrain from calling Severus a Death Eater every time he's mentioned," said Dumbledore calmly.**  
**

"**Your defenses," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures" - he indicated a few of them as he swept past - "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" - he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony - "feel the Dementor's Kiss" - a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall -**

Sirius immediately stiffened at the mention of the Dementor. He never would get over his experience in Azkaban.**  
**

** "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius" - a bloody mass upon ground.**

"**Has an Inferius been seen, then?" said Parvati Patil in a high pitched voice. "Is it definite, is he using them?"**

"**The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," said Snape, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. **

"And he did," muttered _Harry_.

Remus looked at him in shock. "D-Did you face them?" he asked barely above a whisper. _Harry_ gave a brief nod and Remus leaned back in his seat, even paler than he had been.**  
**

**Now…"**

**He set off again around the other side of the classroom toward his desk, and again, they watched him as he walked, his dark robes billowing behind him.,**

"… **you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"**

**Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape took his time looking around at everybody else, making sure he had no choice, before saying curtly, "Very well - Miss Granger?"**

"**Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."**

"**An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," said Snape dismissively**

"I do have to say there's a point in that statement," said Remus. "When answering, it's best to word your answer in a slightly different way."**  
**

** (over in the corner, Malfoy sniggered), "but correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some" - his gaze lingered maliciously upon Harry once more - "lack."**

"_Harry_ does have the ability," growled _Ginny_.

**Harry knew Snape was thinking of their disastrous Occlumency lessons of the previous year. He refused to drop his gaze, but glowered at Snape until Snape looked away.**

"**You will now divide," Snape went on, "into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."**

**Although Snape did not know it, Harry had taught at least half the class (everyone who had been a member of the D.A.) how to perform a Shield Charm the previous year. None of them had ever cast the charm without speaking, however. A reasonable amount of cheating ensued; many people were merely whispering the incantation instead of saying it aloud. Typically, ten minutes into the lesson Hermione managed to repel Neville's muttered Jelly-Legs Jinx without uttering a single word, a feat that would surely have earned her twenty points for Gryffindor from any reasonable teacher, thought Harry bitterly, but which Snape ignored. **

Sirius growled and muttered several curses under his breath.**  
**

**He swept between them as they practiced, looking just as much like an overgrown bat as ever, lingering to watch Harry and Ron struggling with the task.**

**Ron, who was supposed to be jinxing Harry, was purple in the face, his lips tightly compressed to save himself from the temptation of muttering the incantation.**

"At least you aren't cheating," said Bill.

"What are the easiest spells to perform silently?" wondered little Ginny.

"First year spells when you're first learning about silent magic," explained Bill. "They're the easiest to pronounce. The only difference with silent and regular magic is that in silent magic you pronounce the spell in your head."**  
**

** Harry had his wand raised, waiting on tenterhooks to repel a jinx that seemed unlikely ever to come.**

"**Pathetic, Weasley," said Snape, after a while. "Here — let me show you —"**

**He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively; all thought of nonverbal spells forgotten, he yelled, "Protego!"**

"Nice, Harry," said Bill.

"I was supposed to say it silently," protested little Harry.

"True, but you defended yourself," Sirius pointed out. "You were aware and not taken off guard."**  
**

**His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk.**

"Yes!" cried little Ron.**  
**

** The whole class had looked around and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling.**

"**Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?"**

"**Yes," said Harry stiffly.**

"**Yes, sir."**

**"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor."**

"_Harry_!" said _Ginny_ in horror.

"That's my godson," grinned Sirius, "though you shouldn't have done that in front of Snape."

"You get that side of you from your mother," sighed Remus. "She certainly was a cheek little lady, though you wouldn't know when you first met her."**  
**

**The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying. Several people gasped, including Hermione. Behind Snape, however, Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively.**

**"Detention, Saturday night, my office," said Snape. "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter… not even 'the Chosen One.'"**

_Harry_ sighed, remembering the look on Snape's face when he had said that. It had almost seemed as if there was admiration mixed in with the hate. Snape's portrait had later told him that he sounded so much like his mother whenever he was cheeky.**  
**

"**That was brilliant, Harry!" chortled Ron, once they were safely on their way to break a short while later.**

"**You really shouldn't have said it," said Hermione, frowning at Ron. "What made you?"**

**"He tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!" fumed Harry. "I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn't he use another guinea pig for a change? What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that unfixed, indestructble stuff —"**

"**Well," said Hermione, "I thought he sounded a bit like you."**

"**Like me?"**

"**Yes, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort. You said it wasn't just memorizing a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and your guts - well, wasn't that what Snape was saying? That it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?"**

**Harry was so disarmed that she had thought his words as well worth memorizing as The Standard Book of Spells that he did not argue.**

"Not to mention that I agree with you," he added.**  
**

**"Harry! Hey, Harry!"**

**Harry looked around; Jack Sloper, one of the Beaters on last year's Gryffindor Quidditch team, was hurrying toward him holding a roll of parchment.**

"**For you," panted Sloper. "Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When're you holding trials?"**

**"I'm not sure yet," said Harry, thinking privately that Sloper would be very lucky to get back on the team.**

"I'm thankful he didn't," shuddered _Ginny_.**  
**

"**I'll let you know."**

"**Oh, right. I was hoping it'd be this weekend —"**

**But Harry was not listening; he had just recognized the thin, slanting writing on the parchment. Leaving Sloper in mid-sentence, he hurried away with Ron and Hermione, unrolling the parchment as he went.**

**Dear Harry,**

**I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. **

**Kindly come along to my office at 8 P.M. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Albus Dumbledore**

**P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops.**

"Acid Pops?" asked Fred in surprise.

"I have a feeling that is the current password," said Dumbledore, a soft smile forming on his face. "Though, I've never tried an Acid Pop. Are they any good?"

"If you want to get a hole in your tongue," muttered Sirius.

"Personal experience?" wondered Tonks, though it was evident she was hiding a grin.

"You were the one who stuck it in my mouth!" retorted Sirius.

"Well, you fed me a Cockroach Cluster!" cried Tonks.

"Okay, you two, calm down," said Remus as he tried to avoid laughing. "Both of you fed the other person a rather disgusting food item. Now, let's continue this book before Christmas."**  
**

"**He enjoys Acid Pops?" said Ron, who had read the message over Harry's shoulder and was looking perplexed.**

"**It's the password to get past the gargoyle outside his study," said Harry in a low voice. "Ha! Snape's not going to be pleased… I won't be able to do his detention!"**

"Yes!" said Charlie.

"Snape will just change the date," pointed out Bill. "He won't let Harry get out of detention."

"Shoot, well, at least he has to mess up his schedule," said Charlie.**  
**

**He, Ron, and Hermione spent the whole of break speculating on what Dumbledore would teach Harry. Ron thought it most likely to be spectacular jinxes and hexes of the type the Death Eaters would not know. Hermione said such things were illegal, and thought it much more likely that Dumbledore wanted to teach Harry advanced Defensive magic. After break, she went off to Arithmancy while Harry and Ron returned to the common room where they grudgingly started Snape's homework. This turned out to be so complex that they still had not finished when Hermione joined them for their after-lunch free period (though she considerably speeded up the process).**

"I hope you didn't cheat," said Molly severely.

"She just went over our work and correct it," assured Harry. "We then fixed it ourselves."**  
**

**They had only just finished when the bell rang for the afternoon's double Potions and they beat the familiar path down to the dungeon classroom that had, for so long, been Snape's.**

**When they arrived in the corridor they saw that there were only a dozen people progressing to N.E.W.T. level. Crabbe and Goyle had evidently failed to achieve the required O.W.L. grade,**

"I'm surprised they made it as far as they did," muttered _Hermione_.

"Do you honestly think Snape would fail one of his snakes?" asked _Ron_.

"I think one should be graded on the merits of one's grades, not on who they're related to," _Hermione_ replied.**  
**

** but four Slytherins had made it through, including Malfoy. Four Ravenclaws were there, and one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry liked despite his rather pompous manner.**

"**Harry," Ernie said portentously, holding out his hand as Harry approached, "didn't get a chance to speak in Defense Against The Dark Arts this morning. Good lesson, I thought, but Shield Charms are old hat, of course, for us old D.A. lags… And how are you, Ron — Hermione?"**

**Before they could say more than "fine," the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him out of the door.**

Sirius laughed at the description. "That's just like him," he said with a shake of his head.**  
**

** As they filed into the room, his great walrus mustache curved above his beaming mouth, and he greeted Harry and Zabini with particular enthusiasm.**

**The dungeon was, most unusually, already full of vapors and odd smells. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sniffed interestedly as they passed large, bubbling cauldrons. The four Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws. This left Harry, Ron, and Hermione to share a table with Ernie. They chose the one nearest a gold-colored cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents Harry had ever inhaled: **

**Somehow it reminded him simultaneously of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow. **

_Harry_ turned a light shade of pink at this memory.

"What potion does that?" asked little Ginny.

"Slughorn explains in a bit," said _Harry_ quickly. He didn't want to go into details about the Amortentia Potion quite yet.**  
**

**He found that he was breathing very slowly and deeply and that the potion's fumes seemed to be filling him up like drink. A great contentment stole over him; he grinned across at Ron, who grinned back lazily.**

**"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapors. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making…"**

"**Sir?" said Harry, raising his hand.**

"**Harry, m'boy?"**

"**I haven't got a book or scales or anything — nor's Ron — we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see —"**

"**Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention… not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts…" Slughorn strode over to a corner cupboard and, after a moment's foraging, emerged with two very battered-looking copies of Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage, which he gave to Harry and Ron along with two sets of tarnished scales.**

"**Now then," said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class and inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"**

**He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. Harry raised himself slightly in his seat and saw what looked like plain water boiling away inside it.**

"Veritaserum," answered Bill. "I might have a penitent for exploding potions on occasion, but I do know my potions."**  
**

**Hermione's well-practiced hand hit the air before anybody else's; Slughorn pointed at her.**

"**It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," said Hermione.**

"**Very good, very good!" said Slughorn happily. "Now," he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well known… Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too… Who can —?"**

**Hermione's hand was fastest once more.**

"**lt's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said.**

"They didn't give the description before?" moaned Percy. Even though he was only a first year, he was hoping for a chance to show off his knowledge of potions as well.

**Harry too had recognized the slow-bubbling, mudlike substance the second cauldron, but did not resent Hermione getting the credit for answering the question; she, after all, was the one who had succeeded in making it, back in their second year. **

"Which is an extremely amazing feat," said Remus.**  
**

"**Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here… yes, my dear?" said Slughorn, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.**

"**It's Amortentia!"**

"Again, no description first," muttered Charlie.**  
**

"**It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn, who was looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"**

"**It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" said Hermione.**

"Was that the one -" started Fred

"That you made?" George finished

"No," said Molly quickly. "I wasn't advanced enough in potions. I just made a simple one for a bit of fun."**  
**

"**Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"**

"**And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," said Hermione enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and -"**

**But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.**

"What did you smell?" asked George.

"George!" scolded Molly.

"It's fine," _Hermione_ assured, but she was slightly pink. "Ron's shampoo is the third item."

_Ron_ grinned at his wife and pulled her gently into a one-armed embrace so as not to wake Rose.

**"May I ask your name, my dear?" said Slughorn, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment.**

"**Hermione Granger, sir."**

"**Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"**

"**No. I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."**

"Many Muggle-borns have a magical ancestor," explained Arthur. "I know I've already said that, but Dagworth-Granger could easily be an ancestor or somehow related to you if there's a Squib related to him that you're descended from."

Little Hermione nodded slowly, then turned to her older counterpart. "Is he?" she asked.

"I think so," said _Hermione_ slowly. "I've done some digging in the archives, but so rarely are Squibs part of the wizarding censuses, so it's extremely hard to tell."

**Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her.**

"**Oho! 'One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"**

"**Yes, sir," said Harry.**

"**Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Slughorn genially.**

**Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face. **

"Which was bloody awesome," said little Ron.**  
**

**Hermione turned to Harry with a radiant expression and whispered, "Did you really tell him I'm the best in the year? Oh, Harry!"**

"**Well, what's so impressive about that?" whispered Ron, who for some reason looked annoyed. "You are the best in the year — I'd've told him so if he'd asked me!"**

**Hermione smiled but made a "shhing" gesture, so that they could hear what Slughorn was saying. Ron looked slightly disgruntled.**

"**Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room — oh yes," he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking skeptically. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love."**

"Especially when that's how the worst wizard ever came about," _Harry_ muttered under his breath.

"What do you mean?" asked Remus warily.

"You'll see in this book," _Harry_ promised.

"At least that's a step up from 'you'll see'," said Sirius. "That was bloody annoying."**  
**

"**And now," said Slughorn, "it is time for us to start work."**

"**Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," said Ernie Macmillan, pointing at a small black cauldron standing on Slughorn's desk. The potion within was splashing about merrily; it was the color of molten gold, and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a particle had spilled.**

**"Oho," said Slughorn again. Harry was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all, but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect.**

"You're correct," said Sirius. "Sluggy was like that for our NEWT class."**  
**

"**Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it," he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, "that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"**

"**It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"**

**The whole class seemed to sit up a little straighter. Now all Harry could see of Malfoy was the back of his sleek blond head, because he was at last giving Slughorn his full and undivided attention.**

"He could use it for whatever his project is," gasped Remus. "And if it has anything to do with Death Eaters, which I'm certain is true, he cannot get that potion."

"Don't worry, Hermione's in the class," assured Tonks with a grin.**  
**

"**Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis," said Slughorn. "Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed… at least until the effects wear off."**

"**Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" said Terry Boot eagerly.**

**"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," said Slughorn. "Too much of a good thing, you know… highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally…"**

"It can give you quite a day," finished _Harry_.**  
**

"**Have you ever taken it, sir?" asked Michael Corner with great interest.**

"**Twice in my life," said Slughorn. "Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days." He gazed dreamily into the distance. Whether he was playacting or not, thought Harry, the effect was good.**

"**And that," said Slughorn, apparently coming back to earth, "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."**

"Awesome!" cried Bill.

"Bloody good thing you got it," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

**There was silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.**

"**One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," said Slughorn, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showing it to them all. "Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt."**

"**Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions… sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only… and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!"**

"Or use it in the middle of a battle," muttered _Ginny_.

"That certainly wasn't an ordinary day, but it wasn't a test or a game," said _Harry_.**  
**

"**So," said Slughorn, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win this fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. **

"That's a good potion to start with," said Arthur. "It's complicated, which will show him where everyone stands, but it is extremely unlikely to explode."

"And anyone who can explode it will obviously not be there," finished Remus.

"Did you explode that potion?" wondered _Harry_.

"Yes," Remus admitted. "Summer before sixth year I was seeing if I could successfully make a potion if I didn't have the pressure of a teacher or grades. Needless to say, it was a dismal failure."

"Didn't you blow the roof off of your bedroom?" said Sirius.

Remus nodded. "I'm surprised you remember that," he said.

"Anyone who's safely in a bedroom will remember when the roof blew off and rain entered the bedroom," retorted Sirius, causing several people in the room to laugh.

_Harry_ was staring at Remus in shock. Yes, he had learned that Remus wasn't the best potioneer, and that there had been several accidents in the Potions classroom, but he hadn't known about explosions at home. "No wonder Teddy can't do anything that involves cooking," he thought. "What with Tonks' clumsiness and Remus' inability to use a stove."

"I hope the twins are decent at Potions," muttered Molly. "They cause enough explosions deliberately."

"Both of them were quite competent in Potions," said Ginny. "Fred later told me that the only reason they didn't pass their Potions OWL was because of Snape."

"What?" said an outraged Molly. "They deliberately failed classes?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "The twins only took the classes they knew they'd need for the Joke Shop, minus Potions of course."

"There you see!" said Sirius angrily. "Snape is preventing students from continuing on simply because of his degrading personality."

"Sirius, I have said time and time again that I will have words with Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "For now, I would like you to refrain from commenting about Severus."

"Very well," muttered Sirius, "but when he turns out evil . . ."

"Sirius," said Remus firmly, cutting off his friend. Remus didn't say anything more, but his tone and looks were enough to keep Sirius from saying anything more.

**I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"**

"That really is great initiative," commented Arthur. "I know that many students perform better when their is a reward."

"You shouldn't work for a reward," said Fleur. "Ze excitement should come from ze learning."

"I agree," said Bill, "but not everyone thinks that." He looked pointedly at all of his siblings except for Percy.

"What did I do?" asked Charlie.

"You refused to learn how to read unless you were taught how to fly on a regular broom," said Bill. "It was quite amusing watching you try and argue with Mum and Dad."

"What happened?" asked Tonks, eager for more stories about Charlie that could easily be potential blackmail. Charlie mock-glared at her.

"Well, Charlie refused to do his reading lesson. I know he knew his letters and what they looked like, but you said something along the lines of, "Babies read, but big boys fly. I'm a big boy, so I read, not fly."

Charlie's ears were bright red as everyone stared at him.

"What happened?" asked Neville.

"Well, eventually Mum told him that in order to fly he needed to read, because he wouldn't be able to read any books about how to fly or play Quidditch," explained Bill. "That managed to scare Charlie into believing that if he couldn't read he couldn't play Quidditch."

"How old were you?" asked Luna curiously one the laughter that had ensued with the previous statement died down.

"Four," muttered a still red Charlie. "Bill, please read."

**There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke. The concentration within the room was almost tangible. Harry saw Malfoy riffling feverishly through his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. It could not have been clearer that Malfoy really wanted that lucky day. Harry bent swiftly over the tattered book Slughorn had lent him.**

**To his annoyance he saw that the previous owner had scribbled all over the pages, so that the margins were as black as the printed portions. **

"That will make it hard to read," winced Percy.

"Why do people write in books?" wondered little Hermione. "Books are supposed to be enjoyed, not destroyed."

"Writing notes in books can be helpful," said Dumbledore calmly. "Many people have color-coding systems that they use for note taking which often help to keep your thoughts straight, especially while reviewing."

Little Hermione understood what Dumbledore was meaning, but still, writing in books meant defacing them.

"I underline important or confusing sentences in most of my textbooks," said Bill. "And like Professor Dumbledore said, it does make it easier for reviewing."**  
**

**Bending low to decipher the ingredients (even here, the previous owner had made annotations and crossed things out) Harry hurried off toward the store cupboard to find what he needed. As he dashed back to his cauldron, he saw Malfoy cutting up Valerian roots as fast as he could.**

"That might pose a bit of a problem," said Sirius.

"Plus, it's the person who makes the best potion, not the person who finishes first," said Tonks.**  
**

**Everyone kept glancing around at what the rest of the class was doing; this was both an advantage and a disadvantage of Potions, that it was hard to keep your work private. Within ten minutes, the whole place was full of bluish steam. Hermione, of course, seemed to have progressed furthest. Her potion already resembled the "smooth, black currant-colored liquid" mentioned as the ideal halfway stage.**

**Having finished chopping his roots, Harry bent low over his book again. It was really very irritating, having to try and decipher the directions under all the stupid scribbles of the previous owner, who for some reason had taken issue with the order to cut up the sopophorous bean and had written in the alternative instruction:**

**Crush with flat side of silver dagger, releases juice better than cutting.**

"Interesting," mused Dumbledore. "That makes sense, but I wonder why no one has tried it."

"Because no one knew?" wondered Tonks.

"That could be a possibility," said Sirius. "It's not common to experiment in Potions as the results can be quite disastrous. Lily was one of the few people I knew who had the bravery and the ability to safely experiment with different methods of making potions."

"So could Mrs. Potter be the Prince?" asked Percy.

"No," said Remus rather firmly. "Lily can't be the Prince for two reasons, first off this Prince has to be male and this person is also a Half-blood."

"Oh, so perhaps someone she knew?" wondered Tonks.

"Perhaps, but I have no idea who it could be," said Remus.

Dumbledore smiled softly. Mr. Percy Weasley and Miss Tonks were not very far off in their guesses.**  
**

**"Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?" Harry looked up; Slughorn was just passing the Slytherin table.**

"**Yes," said Slughorn, without looking at Malfoy, "I was sorry to hear he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age…"**

"Malfoy isn't going to get into Slughorn's good books," grinned Tonks.**  
**

**And he walked away. Harry bent back over his cauldron, smirking. He could tell that Malfoy had expected to be treated like Harry or Zabini; perhaps even hoped for some preferential treatment of the type he had learned to expect from Snape. It looked as though Malfoy would have to rely on nothing but talent to win the bottle of Felix Felicis.**

**The sopophorous bean was proving very difficult to cut up. Harry turned to Hermione.**

"**Can I borrow your silver knife?"**

**She nodded impatiently, not taking her eyes off her potion, which was still deep purple, though according to the book ought to be turning a light shade of lilac by now.**

**Harry crushed his bean with the flat side of the dagger. To his astonishment, it immediately exuded so much juice he was amazed the shriveled bean could have held it all.**

**Hastily scooping it all into the cauldron he saw, to his surprise, that the potion immediately turned exactly the shade of lilac described by the textbook.**

"That's going to bother _Hermione_," said Percy.

"You have no idea," muttered _Hermione_.**  
**

**His annoyance with the previous owner vanishing on the spot, Harry now squinted at the next line of instructions. According the book, he had to stir counterclockwise until the potion turned clear as water. According to the addition the previous owner made, however, he ought to add a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir. Could the old owner be right twice?**

"I'd take the chance," said Tonks. "Worst thing that can happen is the potion explodes."

"But the 'Drought of Living Death' is one of the most dangerous potions if it explodes," pointed out Bill, causing Molly to whimper quietly.**  
**

**Harry stirred counterclockwise, held his breath, and stirred once clockwise. The effect was immediate. The potion turned pale pink.**

"Wow," said Bill in awe, and for the first time wishing he had managed an 'O' on his Potions OWL, but then he figured that NEWT potions with Snape was bound be to extremely hard, not to mention the teacher was Snape.**  
**

"**How are you doing that?" demanded Hermione, who was redfaced and whose hair was growing bushier and bushier in the fumes from her cauldron; her potion was still resolutely purple.**

"**Add a clockwise stir —"**

"**No, no, the book says counterclockwise!" she snapped.**

"You can't always go by the book," said Charlie. "There are times when you have to experiment."

"Remember when your potion exploded and turned the entire dungeon floor into tar?" asked Tonks, causing Charlie to turn red.

"Ah, yes," sighed Sirius. "The days of potion incidents."

"It's not funny when you're stuck in one place for about an hour along with the entire class, with Snape yelling at you, then once you're rescued, you immediately get yet another lecture from McGonagall," said Charlie.

"It was funny a few days later though," said Tonks. "Remember when Snape's desk started to sink because the tar underneath two of the legs hadn't been cleared away."

"True, and everything on it when sliding to the floor," finished Charlie.

"I sure wish we had had Potions with Hufflepuff," muttered _Ron_. "Would've made everything a lot easier."

"Then I would've been stuck with Slytherin," said _Ginny_.

"Wouldn't Ravenclaw have been in there somewhere?" asked _Harry_.

"Ravenclaw was paired with Gryffindor in 1989," _Hermione_ answered. "It's done on a rotation basis. We were just unlucky enough to be in the year that Gryffindor and Slytherin were together."

**Harry shrugged and continued what he was doing. Seven stirs counterdockwise, one clockwise, pause… seven stirs counterclockwise, one stir clockwise…**

**Across the table, Ron was cursing fluently under his breath; his potion looked like liquid licorice. **

"How'd you get into NEWT Potions?" wondered Sirius.

_Ron_ shrugged. "Some Potions I can make, the basic ones at any rate. I'm not so great at complicated ones though."

"It's like that for a lot of people," said Arthur calmly.

**Harry glanced around. As far as he could see, no one else's potion had turned as pale as his. He felt elated, something that had certainly never happened before in this dungeon.**

"And now you can shine, since Snape is no longer sticking his nose down your potion," said Sirius.**  
**

"**And time's… up!" called Slughorn. "Stop stirring, please!"**

**Slughorn moved slowly among the tables, peering into cauldrons. He made no comment, but occasionally gave the potions a stir or a sniff. At last he reached the table where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie were sitting. He smiled ruefully at the tarlike substance in Ron's cauldron. He passed over Ernie's navy concoction. Hermione's potion he gave an approving nod. Then he saw Harry's, and a look of incredulous delight spread over his face.**

"**The clear winner!" he cried to the dungeon. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are — one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"**

"I certainly say it was used well," said _Hermione_, "except for that one incident."

"Which one?" asked _Harry_. "The incident where you thought I used it or the incident with, well, you know . . ."

"You did get what you needed in that second incident," admitted _Hermione_, "but it was needed in that incident at the end of the year."

"What on earth are you two talking about?" asked Tonks. "And how can you communicate without complete sentences?"

"It happens," said _Hermione_ with a shrug. "If you're close enough, you can read body language and communicate in other ways besides words. I know the twins cou-can do it." She was still struggling to speak of the twins in the present tense and hoped that she had caught her mistake early enough. No one was looking at her strangely, so Hermione sighed quietly in relief.**  
**

**Harry slipped the tiny bottle of golden liquid into his inner pocket, feeling an odd combination of delight at the furious looks on the Slytherins' faces and guilt at the disappointed expression on Hermione's. Ron looked simply dumbfounded.**

"**How did you do that?" he whispered to Harry as they left the dungeon.**

"**Got lucky, I suppose," said Harry, because Malfoy was within earshot.**

"Did you sneak some Felix Felicis before making the potion?" asked Sirius in a joking tone.

"No," said _Harry_ as he pretended to be offended, causing laughter to once again circle the room.**  
**

**Once they were securely ensconced at the Gryffindor table for dinner, however, he felt safe enough to tell them. Hermione's face became stonier with every word he uttered.**

"**I s'pose you think I cheated?" he finished, aggravated by her expression.**

"**Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?" she said stiffly.**

"You could say that even if he simply followed the regular instructions," said Remus. "It technically isn't his own work, rather the author of the book."

"Why must you always be so literal," groaned Sirius.

"It's fun," was Remus' only explanation.**  
**

**"He only followed different instructions to ours," said Ron, "Could've been a catastrophe, couldn't it? But he took a risk and it paid off." He heaved a sigh. "Slughorn could've handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one's ever written on. Puked on, by the look of page fifty-two, but —"**

"**Hang on," said a voice close by Harry's left ear and he caught a sudden waft of that flowery smell he had picked up in Slughorn's dungeon. **

"From ze Amortentia Potion?" asked Fleur. _Harry_ nodded in answer.**  
**

**He looked around and saw that Ginny had joined them. **

"And that's when it began," said _Harry_ quietly.

"What?" asked _Ginny_.

"I realized I liked you," _Harry_ answered amid all the soft looks from the females in the room and the faked disgusted looks from many of the younger boys.**  
**

**"Did I hear right? You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?"**

"It's understandable why you'd be acting like that," said Arthur quietly.

"I was worried," replied _Ginny_. "I didn't know what exactly it was like, but after the diary . . ."**  
**

**She looked alarmed and angry. Harry knew what was on her mind at once.**

"**It's nothing," he said reassuringly, lowering his voice. "It's not like, you know, Riddle's diary. It's just an old textbook someone's scribbled on."**

"And it doesn't talk back," said little Harry.**  
**

"**But you're doing what it says?"**

"**I just tried a few of the tips written in the margins, honestly, Ginny, there's nothing funny -"**

"**Ginny's got a point," said Hermione, perking up at once. **

"**We ought to check that there's nothing odd about it. I mean, all these funny instructions, who knows?"**

"**Hey!" said Harry indignantly, as she pulled his copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bag and raised her wand. "Specialis Revelio!" she said, rapping it smartly on the front cover. Nothing whatsoever happened. The book simply lay there, looking old and dirty and dog-eared.**

"**Finished?" said Harry irritably. "Or d'you want to wait and see if it does a few backflips?"**

No one saw Charlie sneak his wand out and point it at the book. Charlie muttered a spell and the book leapt out of Bill's hands and began to perform a series of backflips.

"Charlie!" said Bill, once he realized what was going on.

"Who, me?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, you!" retorted Bill. "I know you're the one who did that."

"So?" Charlie questioned.

"Fix it," commanded Bill.

"But I would be performing underage magic," protested Charlie.

"Charlie Septimus Weasley," said Bill in exasperation. "You already have performed underage magic, but we are in a room full of wizards, so it won't be registered as you. Fix it."

"Were they always like this growing up?" asked _Harry_.

"Pretty much," answered _Ron_. "Those two were almost as bad as the twins."

After several sharp glares from Bill, and the threat of being hexed, Charlie muttered the counter-curse. "You could've done it yourself," protested Charlie as he handed Bill back the book.

"And not watch you suffer?" teased Bill. "No thanks." Once the book was safely back in his hands, Bill found the place where he was interrupted and continued to read.

**"It seems all right," said Hermione, still staring at the book suspiciously. "I mean, it really does seem to be… just a textbook."**

"It can't be just a textbook though," said Percy, "otherwise it wouldn't be so important."**  
**

"**Good. Then I'll have it back," said Harry, snatching it off the table, but it slipped from his hand and landed open on the floor.**

**Nobody else was looking. Harry bent low to retrieve the book, and as he did so, he saw something scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in the same small, cramped handwriting as the instructions that had won him his bottle of Felix Felicis, now safely hidden inside a pair of socks in his trunk upstairs.**

"Why do you hide everything in socks?" wondered Nevile.

"They're good hiding places because no one wants to look there," said little Harry.**  
**

**This book is the property of the Half Blood Prince.**

"So whoever is the Half Blood Prince is excellent at Potions and has horrible handwriting," deduced Tonks.

"I don't think that will help much as so many students do not care about their penmanship," said _Hermione_. "I wish that was still a required class."

"Perhaps the answer is in this next chapter and you'll find out," said Bill as he handed Tonks the book.**  
**

* * *

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. I figured Sirius would know something about Tonks' love for Remus.**_

**_RemySevvyFan: I hope you had a great time in Rome. Thanks for the review and for pointing out my spelling error. I really don't like it when I mix up words like that._**

**_Furionknight: Thanks for the smile.  
_**

**_Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review. I can tell you right now that it won't be pretty. Expect some cursing and probably an explosion._**

* * *

**_I just want to say, that I'm one of those people who writes in books. I actually have a color-coding system for some of my book, especially theological ones. I think it helps me to understand a book better if I can directly write my thoughts next to the authors thoughts._**


	11. The House of Gaunt

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**Once again, I apologize for the wait. I was gone for a few days on Easter break and it is nearly impossible to type in a car, so I didn't get very much written while I was gone. Hopefully I can start updating faster once the action starts to pick up in this book. By the way, in case any of you haven't heard, Pottermore is now open to the public. If you wish to be friends, please PM me and we can go from there.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. I also don't own Monty Python.  
**_

Tonks began to read once everyone was settled.

**The House of Gaunt**

"Gaunt," murmured Sirius. "That sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it."

Dumbledore furrowed his eyebrows. The name was familiar, but for different reasons than Sirius' familiarity. He knew that they were decedents of Slytherin and that Voldemort was a descendant of Slytherin, so it made perfect sense for Voldemort to be a decedent of the Gaunts.

Tonks didn't wait for Sirius to think it out, because knowing Sirius, it would take a really long time and it would probably be discovered in the book faster than Sirius could remember.

**For or the rest of the week's Potions lessons Harry continued to follow the Half-Blood Prince's instructions wherever they deviated from Libatius Borage's, with the result that by their fourth lesson Slughorn was raving about Harrys abilities, saying that he had rarely taught anyone so talented. Neither Ron nor Hermione was delighted by this. **

"How come?" asked Luna. "He isn't doing anything wrong."

"I considered it cheating," answered _Hermione_. "He wasn't following the instructions in the Potions book."

"And I couldn't read the writing," added _Ron_.

"If you didn't want to cheat at potions, you should simply be placed in a room with a cauldron, potion items, and be told to make a certain potion," said Sirius.

"That would most likely result in a destroyed cauldron at best," said _Harry_ with a laugh. "I don't want to think about what could happen at the other end."

**Although Harry had offered to share his book with both of them, Ron had more difficulty deciphering the handwriting than Harry did, and could not keep asking Harry to read aloud or it might look suspicious. Hermione, meanwhile, was resolutely plowing on with what she called the "official" instructions, but becoming increasingly bad-tempered as they yielded poorer results than the Prince's.**

"I hadn't had this happen before," muttered _Hermione_.

"That is because by the time sixth year roles around, they expect you to be able to expand on earlier knowledge and not simply follow instructions blindly," said Sirius.

Remus gaped at his friend. "Sirius, I never thought I'd hear the day when you would say something like that."

"What, something smart?" Sirius retorted. "That's happened several times since I came here."

"True, but you're defending Potions!"

"I liked it," Sirius shrugged. "You're the one who hated it." Remus simply groaned and motioned for Tonks to continue reading.**  
**

**Harry wondered vaguely who the Half-Blood Prince had been. Although the amount of homework they had been given prevented him from reading the whole of his copy of Advanced Potion-Making, he had skimmed through it sufficiently to see that there was barely a page on which the Prince had not made additional notes, not all of them concerned with potion-making. Here and there were directions for what looked like spells that the Prince had made up himself.**

"Ooh, an inventor," grinned Fred.

_Harry_ grimaced. Some of the spells found in that book, such as _Muffliato_ or _Levicorpus_ were quite helpful, others such as _Sectumsempra_ could be quite deadly.

"**Or herself," said Hermione irritably, overhearing Harry pointing some of these out to Ron in the common room on Saturday evening. "It might have been a girl. I think the handwriting looks more like a girl's than a boy's."**

"**The Half-Blood Prince, he was called," Harry said. "How many girls have been Princes?"**

"Could Prince be a surname?" asked Percy. "If so, then this person could easily be a girl."

"That is a possibility," agreed Arthur, "but if it is a surname, it's one that has died out."

**Hermione seemed to have no answer to this. She merely scowled and twitched her essay on The Principles of Rematerialization away from Ron, who was trying to read it upside down.**

"Unsuccessfully," _Ron_ pointed out with a grin.

"But you were trying," retorted _Hermione_.**  
**

**Harry looked at his watch and hurriedly put the old copy of Advanced Potion-Making back into his bag.**

"**It's five to eight, I'd better go, I'll be late for Dumbledore."**

"**Ooooh!" gasped Hermione, looking up at once. "Good luck! We'll wait up, we want to hear what he teaches you!"**

"If he can tell you," said Bill.

"Don't jinx it!" mock scolded Charlie.

"Whatever's happened has already happened," said a rather annoyed Bill.

"**Hope it goes okay," said Ron, and the pair of them watched Harry leave through the portrait hole.**

**Harry proceeded through deserted corridors, though he had to step hastily behind a statue when Professor Trelawney appeared around a corner, muttering to herself as she shuffled a pack of dirty-looking playing cards, reading them as she walked.**

"That's not good for your eyes," said little Hermione calmly.

"I thought your parents were dentists," said a confused little Harry.

"They are, but walking while reading isn't good," she continued.

"You do enough of it," muttered _Ron_, earning a whack on the arm from his wife.**  
**

"**Two of spades: conflict," she murmured, as she passed the place where Harry crouched, hidden. "Seven of spades: an ill omen. Ten of spades: violence. Knave of spades: a dark young man, possibly troubled, one who dislikes the questioner —"**

"That could easily fit you, Harry," said Tonks. "You're always attracting bad luck, almost always involved in some sort of violence or other, though you don't want it, and you have dark hair and often appear troubled."

_Harry_ couldn't help grinning at Tonks' comment. Yes, if one looked at it from that perspective, Trelawney was spot on.

**She stopped dead, right on the other side of Harry's statue.**

"**Well, that can't be right," she said, annoyed, and Harry heard her reshuffling vigorously as she set off again, leaving nothing but a whiff of cooking sherry behind her. Harry waited until he was quite sure she had gone, then hurried off again until he reached the spot in the seventh-floor corridor where a single gargoyle stood against the wall.**

"**Acid Pops," said Harry, and the gargoyle leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart, and a moving spiral stone staircase was revealed, onto which Harry stepped, so that he was carried in smooth circles up to the door with the brass knocker that led to Dumbledore's Office.**

**Harry knocked.**

"**Come in," said Dumbledore's voice.**

"**Good evening, sir," said Harry, walking into the headmaster's office.**

"And hopefully it stays in once piece this time," said Sirius.

_Harry_ grinned sheepishly.**  
**

"**Ah, good evening, Harry. Sit down," said Dumbledore, smiling. "I hope you've had an enjoyable first week back at school?"**

"**Yes, thanks, sir," said Harry.**

"**You must have been busy, a detention under your belt already!"**

"I don't try like some people," said _Harry_ as he look at the twins and at the Marauders.

Molly sighed when she saw the look _Harry_ gave the twins. She knew that Fred and George were pranksters, but until now, she had hoped that they didn't try to get detention.

"How many detentions did you have?" asked _Harry_, looking at Remus and Sirius.

Sirius bit his lip in thought. "I think it was in the neighborhood of two-hundred and fifty," said Sirius. "A week didn't go by when I didn't have at least one detention."

"You managed to get a dozen or so detentions over the various Christmas breaks," Remus pointed out.

"I know," Sirius defended. "I included those in the two-fifty."

"What about the time when Lily gave you a detention over Easter holiday at the Potters in seventh year?" Remus inquired.

"Forgot about that one," mumbled Sirius.

"Mum gave you a detention when you weren't even at Hogwarts?" asked _Harry_ in surprise.

"Yes," said Sirius quietly. "I learned not to cross her, especially when it came to James."

"Do I even want to know?" _Harry_ groaned.

"Probably not," Remus assured. "Now, do you wish to know the amount of detentions that I managed to get under my belt?" When he got an affirmation, he continued, "I had around one-fifty."

"Remus!" scolded Molly. "You were Prefect!"

"True, but only fifty of my detentions were in fifth-seventh year," Remus said quickly.

"And the twins?" asked Arthur, though he was almost afraid to ask.

"They managed to get a detention prior to the Opening Feast nearly every year," said _Ron_. "That should be enough, to say, but I do think they had an average of thirty detentions each every year.

"Hah!" said Sirius. "I still have more?"

"Life goal: get more than two-fifty detentions," said George solemnly.

"You'll do no such thing," Molly said extremely sternly. "Hogwarts is for education, not a competition to see you can get the most detentions in seven years."

The twins, being themselves, ignored their mother and were busy trying to figure out ways they could wrangle detentions.

"We could start a food fight," suggested Fred.

"Too unoriginal," dismissed George. "What about a water fight?"

"Lame," Fred said quickly. "I know! We can bring in another giant squid and then there will be giant squid babies!"

"Thanks Merlin that never happened," muttered _Ginny_, but she was laughing just the same.

"Boys!" scolded Molly. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"

"Let them have their fun, Molly," said Arthur. "I doubt they'll go through with most of their ideas."

"**Er," began Harry awkwardly, but Dumbledore did not look too stern.**

"**I have arranged with Professor Snape that you will do your detention next Saturday instead."**

"Shoot," muttered Charlie.

"You know he'd still have to do it," Bill pointed out.

"A guy can hope, can't he?" asked Charlie, but before anyone could answer, Tonks began to read again.**  
**

"**Right," said Harry, who had more pressing matters on his mind than Snapes detention, and now looked around surreptitiously for some indication of what Dumbledore was planning to do with him this evening. The circular office looked just as it always did; the delicate silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, puffing smoke and whirring; portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses dozed in their frames, and Dumbledore's magnificent phoenix, Fawkes, stood on his perch behind the door, watching Harry with bright interest. It did not even look as though Dumbledore had cleared a space for dueling practice.**

"**So, Harry," said Dumbledore, in a businesslike voice. "You have been wondering, I am sure, what I have planned for you during these — for want of a better word — lessons?"**

"**Yes, sir."**

"**Well, I have decided that it is time, now that you know what prompted Lord Voldemort to try and kill you fifteen years ago, for you to be given certain information." There was a pause.**

"Finally," sighed Sirius, but he was on the worried side. This information would come out. They knew a little bit of it, but at last, he would find out the whole story. Sirius wasn't certain if he wanted to know the entire story. Yes, he knew that there had to be more besides Love Sacrifice involved, but what could it be? He wanted to know all of the details, but at the same time he knew that these details would practically kill him. He wanted his godson to be safe and happy, but once he knew everything, Sirius was certain that _Harry_ never had gotten that life. He looked down at the young boy curled in his lap and was all the more determined to keep him innocent for as long as possible.

**"You said, at the end of last term, you were going to tell me everything," said Harry. It was hard to keep a note of accusation from his voice. "Sir," he added.**

"**And so I did," said Dumbledore placidly. "I told you everything I know. From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork. From here on in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron."**

"Wouldn't it melt?" asked little Ginny, but little Ron's ears had only heard the word cheese.

"Cheese!" he cried.

"Ronald," groaned Percy, "he's not talking about cheese."

"But I'm hungry!" little Ron protested.

"We ate not to long ago and will be eating again fairly soon," said Molly. "Your stomach can wait that long."

"Who'd want a cheese cauldron anyway?" wondered Neville, "besides you, Ron." There were no takers to answer Neville's question and soon Tonks started to read again.**  
**

"**But you think you're right?" said Harry.**

"**Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being — forgive me — rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."**

"You sure as hell bet they are," growled Sirius. "Were do you want me to start? When you organized the mess with the Philosopher's Stone? When you left Harry at the Dursleys? When you made Hagrid take my godson from me?"

Dumbledore made a move as if to say something, but was interrupted by Remus trying to calm Sirius down.

"Sirius!" said Remus sternly as he placed his hand on his friends shoulder, but it was quickly shrugged off as Sirius continued.

"How about when you refused to tell _Harry_ anything in the last book? You could've at least told him why you didn't tell him things. Or there was the time when you - "

"Sirius!" interrupted _Harry_ rather coldly. "Stop it. Most of the things you are talking about take place in the future. Yes, Albus make his fair share of mistakes, perhaps more, but that doesn't change the fact that he did what he thought to be best. Granted, it wasn't the best for me to be left at the Dursleys -" Sirius made as if to interrupt, but was stopped by Harry raising his hand -"but, even though the incident with the Philosopher's Stone was indeed set up, it was a good thing in the end because it helped me learn how to battle Voldemort before he was back to his full potential."

Sirius calmed down, but he continued to glare daggers at Dumbledore.**  
**

"**Sir," said Harry tentatively, "does what you're going to tell me have anything to do with the prophecy? Will it help me… survive?"**

"**It has a very great deal to do with the prophecy," said Dumbledore, as casually as if Harry had asked him about the next days weather, "and I certainly hope that it will help you to survive."**

**Dumbledore got to his feet and walked around the desk, past Harry, who turned eagerly in his seat to watch Dumbledore bending over the cabinet beside the door. When Dumbledore straightened up, he was holding a familiar shallow stone basin etched with odd markings around its rim. He placed the Pensieve on the desk in front of Harry.**

"**You look worried."**

**Harry had indeed been eyeing the Pensieve with some apprehension. His previous experiences with the odd device that stored and revealed thoughts and memories, though highly instructive, had also been uncomfortable. The last time he had disturbed its contents, he had seen much more than he would have wished. But Dumbledore was smiling.**

"**This time, you enter the Pensieve with me… and, even more unusually, with permission."**

"So he knows about both instances," murmured Remus. It made sense, but for some reason he had hoped that Dumbledore hadn't found out about the incident during Occlumency.**  
**

"**Where are we going, sir?"**

"**For a trip down Bob Ogden's memory lane," said Dumbledore, pulling from his pocket a crystal bottle containing a swirling silvery-white substance.**

"**Who was Bob Ogden?"**

"I remember him," said Sirius. "Nice fellow, works in DMLE."

"Worked," corrected Remus. "He died in 1984."

"Oh."

"**He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Dumbledore. "He died some time ago, but not before I had tracked him down and persuaded him to confide these recollections to me. We are about to accompany him on a visit he made in the course of his duties. If you will stand, Harry…"**

**But Dumbledore was having difficulty pulling out the stopper of the crystal bottle: His injured hand seemed stiff and painful.**

"What did he do?" wondered Remus. All he had figured out was that this injury had to do with incurable Dark Magic.**  
**

"**Shall — shall I, sir?"**

"**No matter, Harry —"**

**Dumbledore pointed his wand at the bottle and the cork flew out.**

"**Sir — how did you injure your hand?" Harry asked again, looking at the blackened fingers with a mixture of revulsion and pity.**

"**Now is not the moment for that story, Harry. Not yet. **

"Is he ever going to tell you?" asked Molly. Dumbledore looked up curiously. He too was wondering how he got this peculiar injury. All he could figure out is that he had had to have had contact with a an object infested with Dark Magic.

"Eventually," said _Harry_.

**We have an appointment with Bob Ogden."**

**Dumbledore tipped the silvery contents of the bottle into the Pensieve, where they swirled and shimmered, neither liquid nor gas. "After you," said Dumbledore, gesturing toward the bowl. Harry bent forward, took a deep breath, and plunged his face into the silvery substance. He felt his feet leave the office floor; he was falling, falling through whirling darkness and then, quite suddenly, he was blinking in dazzling sunlight. Before his eyes had adjusted, Dumbledore landed beside him.**

**They were standing in a country lane bordered by high, tangled hedgerows, beneath a summer sky as bright and blue as a forget-me-not. Some ten feet in front of them stood a short, plump man wearing enormously thick glasses that reduced his eyes to molelike specks. He was reading a wooden signpost that was sticking out of the brambles on the left-hand side of the road. Harry knew this must be Ogden; he was the only person in sight, and he was also wearing the strange assortment of clothes so often chosen by inexperienced wizards trying to look like Muggles: in this case, a frock coat and spats over a striped one-piece bathing costume. Before Harry had time to do more than register his bizarre appearance, however, Ogden had set off at a brisk walk down the lane.**

**Dumbledore and Harry followed. As they passed the wooden sign, Harry looked up at its two arms. The one pointing back the way they had come read: Great Hangleton, 5 miles. The arm pointing after Ogden said Little Hangleton, 1 mile.**

"Isn't that where the Riddle House is?" asked Bill.

"You're right," said Arthur, "but as the Riddle's aren't magical, I have no clue as to why a wizard would visit them."

"Is this before or after Voldemort's birth?" asked Charlie quickly.

"Before," _Harry_ answered, knowing that this would probably clear up some confusion that had to do with location. He managed to repress a shudder as he tried to keep images of the Little Hangleton graveyard from entering his mind. _Ginny_ gently placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. _Harry_ smiled back at her, but his face was a bit pale.

"So I guess there were other wizards around before Voldemort," said Fred.

**They walked a short way with nothing to see but the hedgerows, the wide blue sky overhead and the swishing, frock-coated figure ahead. Then the lane curved to the left and fell away, sloping steeply down a hillside, so that they had a sudden, unexpected view of a whole valley laid out in front of them. Harry could see a village, undoubtedly Little Hangleton, nestled between two steep hills, its church and graveyard clearly visible. Across the valley, set on the opposite hillside, was a handsome manor house surrounded by a wide expanse of velvety green lawn.**

"Could that be the Riddle house?" wondered Percy.

"Well, I would suppose so as it's the only manor house around," said Bill.**  
**

**Ogden had broken into a reluctant trot due to the steep downward slope. Dumbledore lengthened his stride, and Harry hurried to keep up. He thought Little Hangleton must be their final destination and wondered, as he had done on the night they had found Slughorn, why they had to approach it from such a distance. He soon discovered that he was mistaken in thinking that they were going to the village, however. The lane curved to the right and when they rounded the corner, it was to see the very edge of Ogden's frock coat vanishing through a gap in the hedge.**

"I guess someone likes their privacy," quipped Fred.**  
**

**Dumbledore and Harry followed him onto a narrow dirt track bordered by higher and wilder hedgerows than those they had left behind. The path was crooked, rocky, and potholed, sloping down-hill like the last one, and it seemed to be heading for a patch of dark trees a little below them. Sure enough, the track soon opened up at the copse, and Dumbledore and Harry came to a halt behind Ogden, who had stopped and drawn his wand.**

"Good idea," said Remus. "This place doesn't sound too pleasant."

"Especially considering that Voldemort's from around these parts," added Bill darkly.

"Just because an evil person comes from a seemingly evil place, it doesn't make the place actually evil," said little Hermione.

"And someone who comes from an evil place isn't evil originally, but simply chooses is evil because he chose to be evil," said Tonks.

"So Voldemort came from an evil place and is evil only because he chose to be evil," said Bill. "That doesn't make sense. How can there be a time when Voldemort wasn't evil?"

"Everyone is born with evil inside of them," said Dumbledore. "Some choose to nurture it and others fight against it. Voldemort is one of those who has chosen to nurse his inner evil and bring it out to its complete capability."

**Despite the cloudless sky, the old trees ahead cast deep, dark, cool shadows, and it was a few seconds before Harry's eyes discerned the building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. It seemed to him a very strange location to choose for a house, or else an odd decision to leave the trees growing nearby, blocking all light and the view of the valley below. He wondered whether it was inhabited; its walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime. **

"That's a hovel if I ever saw one," shuddered _Hermione_.**  
**

**Just as he had concluded that nobody could possibly live there, however, one of the windows was thrown open with a clatter, and a thin trickle of steam or smoke issued from it, as though somebody was cooking.**

**Ogden moved forward quietly and, it seemed to Harry, rather cautiously. As the dark shadows of the trees slid over him, he stopped again, staring at the front door, to which somebody had nailed a dead snake.**

"Who in their right mind would do something like that?" asked Tonks as she stared disgustedly at the book.

"Someone who isn't in their right mind," responded little Hermione.

"Who else?" asked George with a shrug.**  
**

**Then there was a rustle and a crack, and a man in rags dropped from the nearest tree, landing on his feet right in front of Ogden, who leapt backward so fast he stood on the tails of his frock coat and stumbled.**

"_**You're not welcome."**_

Tonks stared at the book in confusion because of the italicized words.

"Is something wrong?" asked Remus.

"The speech is italicized," said a rather confused Tonks.

_Harry_ nodded slowly. That made sense as it was Parseltongue, but he knew that wouldn't be revealed for a few more lines.

**The man standing before them had thick hair so matted with dirt it could have been any color. Several of his teeth were missing. His eyes were small and dark and stared in opposite directions. He might have looked comical, but he did not; the effect was frightening, and Harry could not blame Ogden for backing away several more paces before he spoke.**

"**Er — good morning. I'm from the Ministry of Magic —"**

"_**You're not welcome."**_

"That's still in italics," mused Tonks. She took a quick look down the rest of the page. "I think just about everything that this person says is in italics."

"So is he not speaking English or does he have an accent of some sort?" wondered Percy.

"N-No, I don't think so," said Tonks. "I don't know what it is, but Ogedn obviously can't understand it."

"**Er — I'm sorry — I don't understand you," said Ogden nervously.**

**Harry thought Ogden was being extremely dim; the stranger was making himself very clear in Harry's opinion, particularly as he was brandishing a wand in one hand and a short and rather bloody knife in the other.**

"**You understand him, I'm sure, Harry?" said Dumbledore quietly.**

"**Yes, of course," said Harry, slightly nonplussed. "Why can't Ogden —?"**

**But as his eyes found the dead snake on the door again, he suddenly understood.**

"**He's speaking Parseltongue?"**

"Parseltongue!" cried Sirius. "That does make sense. _Harry_ can understand it perfectly, but Ogedn can't."

"**Very good," said Dumbledore, nodding and smiling.**

"So, can you understand Parseltongue?" asked Bill.

"To a certain degree," said Dumbledore. "Now, I do know the exact words of this dialogue because of the book, but I think my future self is most likely reading the body language of this man as well as _Harry's_ face."**  
**

**The man in rags was now advancing on Ogden, knife in one hand, wand in the other.**

"Well, that will at least convey an 'I want you to leave' message," said Charlie.**  
**

"**Now, look —" Ogden began, but too late: There was a bang, and Ogden was on the ground, clutching his nose, while a nasty yellowish goo squirted from between his fingers.**

"**Morfin!" said a loud voice.**

**An elderly man had come hurrying out of the cottage, banging the door behind him so that the dead snake swung pathetically. This man was shorter than the first, and oddly proportioned; his shoulders were very broad and his arms overlong, which, with his bright brown eyes, short scrubby hair, and wrinkled face, gave him the look of a powerful, aged monkey. He came to a halt beside the man with the knife, who was now cackling with laughter at the sight of Ogden on the ground.**

"**Ministry, is it?" said the older man, looking down at Ogden.**

"**Correct!" said Ogden angrily, dabbing his face. "And you, I take it, are Mr. Gaunt?"**

"Gaunt!" cried Sirius. "Now I remember. "They're an old Pureblood family, died out about seventy or so years ago. They prided themselves on being the descendants of Salazar Slytherin."

"Could these be relatives of Voldemort?" wondered Bill. "He did say that he's Slytherin's Heir."

"Perhaps, but then, Voldemort could simply be pretending like the whole pureblood stuff," said Sirius.

All of this discussion was making Dumbledore more and more certain that these had to be Voldemort's relatives. Especially, if they were the only living decedents of Slytherin.

"**S'right," said Gaunt. "Got you in the face, did he?"**

"**Yes, he did!" snapped Ogden.**

"**Should've made your presence known, shouldn't you?" said Gaunt aggressively. "This is private property. Can't just walk in here and not expect my son to defend himself."**

"**Defend himself against what, man?" said Ogden, clambering back to his feet.**

"**Busybodies. Intruders. Muggles and filth." Ogden pointed his wand at his own nose, which was still issuing large amounts of what looked like yellow pus, and the flow stopped at once. Mr. Gaunt spoke out of the corner of his mouth to Morfin.**

"_**Get in the house. Don't argue."**_

**This time, ready for it, Harry recognized Parseltongue; even while he could understand what was being said, he distinguished the weird hissing noise that was all Ogden could hear. **

"Weird," was all _Ginny_ could say. "So if you can speak Parseltongue, it sounds perfectly normal to your ears."

"Which is why I didn't realize I could speak it until _Ron_ pointed it out," explained _Harry_._**  
**_

**Morfin seemed to be on the point of disagreeing, but when his father cast him a threatening look he changed his mind, lumbering away to the cottage with an odd rolling gait and slamming the front door behind him, so that the snake swung sadly again.**

"**It's your son I'm here to see, Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden, as he mopped the last of the pus from the front of his coat. "That was Morfin, wasn't it?"**

"**Ah, that was Morfin," said the old man indifferently. "Are you pure-blood?" he asked, suddenly aggressive.**

"**That's neither here nor there," said Ogden coldly, and Harry felt his respect for Ogden rise. Apparently Gaunt felt rather differently.**

"Well, if he's related to Slytherin . . ." Percy's voice trailed off as no more words were necessary which was true.**  
**

** He squinted into Ogden's face and muttered, in what was clearly supposed to be an offensive tone, "Now I come to think about it, I've seen noses like yours down in the village."**

"Stereotypical," muttered little Hermione.

"Should we give him a Muggle nose?" asked George darkly.

"George!" said Arthur sharply.

"Dad, it doesn't have anything to do with Muggles," said George quickly. "I just meant to give him a nose that looked like a nose from one of the village Muggles."

Arthur eyed his son briefly, but knew that George hadn't meant any harm by his statement. He just needed to learn how to word statements like that so no one jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"If you could do it, he'd deserve it," muttered Sirius angrily.

**"I don't doubt it, if your son's been let loose on them," said Ogden. "Perhaps we could continue this discussion inside?"**

"**Inside?"**

"**Yes, Mr. Gaunt. I've already told you. I'm here about Morfin. We sent an owl —"**

"**I've no use for owls," said Gaunt. "I don't open letters."**

"Who thinks he can't read?" wondered Charlie. Slowly, many hands were raised throughout the room until nearly everyone had their hand raised.**  
**

"**Then you can hardly complain that you get no warning of visitors," said Ogden tartly. "I am here following a serious breach of Wizarding law, which occurred here in the early hours of this morning —"**

"**All right, all right, all right!" bellowed Gaunt. "Come in the bleeding house, then, and much good it'll do you!"**

**The house seemed to contain three tiny rooms. Two doors led off the main room, which served as kitchen and living room combined. Morfin was sitting in a filthy armchair beside the smoking fire, twisting a live adder between his thick fingers and crooning softly at it in Parseltongue:**

_**Hissy, hissy, little snakey,**_

_**Slither on the floor**_

_**You be good to Morfin**_

_**Or he'll nail you to the door.**_

"He is majorly wrong in the head," said a rather disgusted Bill.

"We've already confirmed that," said Remus.

"If anyone needs to be in an insane asylum, it's him," said Charlie determinedly.

**There was a scuffling noise in the corner beside the open window, and Harry realized that there was somebody else in the room, a girl whose ragged gray dress was the exact color of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid-looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother's, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but Harry thought he had never seen a more defeated-looking person.**

"I do feel sorry for her," said _Ginny_ quietly. "If she had just had a happier, better life . . ."

Harry smiled at his wife in understanding. Like any disastrous event, or even a good event, one little change could have prevented it from happening.

"Is this girl really important?" wondered Percy.

"Yes," _Harry_ answered, "though perhaps not in very a good way."

"It's not like she's You-Know-Who's mother," said little Ron.

The four time travelers exchanged very quick, very discreet glances. "Is their honestly no Seer blood in your family?" asked _Harry_ in a quite voice.

_Ron_ shrugged. "I highly doubt it," he said and he left it at that.

"**M'daughter, Merope," said Gaunt grudgingly, as Ogden looked inquiringly toward her.**

"**Good morning," said Ogden.**

**She did not answer, but with a frightened glance at her father turned her back on the room and continued shifting the pots on the shelf behind her.**

"**Well, Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden, "to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son, Morfin, performed magic in front of a Muggle late last night."**

**There was a deafening clang. Merope had dropped one of the pots.**

"**Pick it up!" Gaunt bellowed at her. "That's it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what's your wand for, you useless sack of muck?"**

"**Mr. Gaunt, please!" said Ogden in a shocked voice, as Merope, who had already picked up the pot, flushed blotchily scarlet, lost her grip on the pot again, drew her wand shakily from her pocket, pointed it at the pot, and muttered a hasty, inaudible spell that caused the pot to shoot across the floor away from her, hit the opposite wall, and crack in two.**

"Sometimes it's easier to do a chore the Muggle way," said Molly, "especially if it's already mostly done."

"I doubt the Gaunts would think like that though," muttered Sirius.**  
**

**Morfin let out a mad cackle of laughter. Gaunt screamed, "Mend it, you pointless lump, mend it!"**

"How dare he talk like that to his daughter," said Arthur through gritted teeth.**  
**

**Merope stumbled across the room, but before she had time to raise her wand, Ogden had lifted his own and said firmly, "Reparo." The pot mended itself instantly.**

**Gaunt looked for a moment as though he was going to shout at Ogden, but seemed to think better of it: Instead, he jeered at his daughter, "Lucky the nice man from the Ministry's here, isn't it? Perhaps he'll take you off my hands, perhaps he doesn't mind dirty Squibs…"**

"If she can do magic, she's not a Squib," said Molly indignantly.**  
**

**Without looking at anybody or thanking Ogden, Merope picked up the pot and returned it, hands trembling, to its shelf. She then stood quite still, her back against the wall between the filthy window and the stove, as though she wished for nothing more than to sink into the stone and vanish.**

"**Mr. Gaunt," Ogden began again, "as I've said: the reason for my visit —"**

"**I heard you the first time!" snapped Gaunt. "And so what? Morfin gave a Muggle a bit of what was coming to him — what about it, then?"**

"**Morfin has broken Wizarding law," said Ogden sternly.**

"'**Morfin has broken Wizarding law.'" Gaunt imitated Ogden's voice, making it pompous and singsong. Morfin cackled again. "He taught a filthy Muggle a lesson, that's illegal now, is it?"**

"It has been illegal for thousands of years," growled Remus.

"But the pure-bloods of this sort will always believe that they are above the Wizarding law," said Sirius.**  
**

"**Yes," said Ogden. "I'm afraid it is."**

**He pulled from an inside pocket a small scroll of parchment and unrolled it.**

"**What's that, then, his sentence?" said Gaunt, his voice rising angrily.**

"It can't be a sentence as you have to have a hearing before you can be sentenced," pointed out Arthur, "or at least that's the proper way to do it."**  
**

"**It is a summons to the Ministry for a hearing —"**

"**Summons! Summons? Who do you think you are, summoning my son anywhere?"**

"**I'm Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad," said Ogden.**

"**And you think we're scum, do you?" screamed Gaunt, advancing on Ogden now, with a dirty yellow-nailed finger pointing at his chest. "Scum who'll come running when the Ministry tells 'em to? Do you know who you're talking to, you filthy little **

Tonks stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. She hated that word ever since she had first heard it at a young age.**  
**

**Mudblood, do you?"**

"He can't be Muggle-born as he doesn't know how to dress as a Muggle," pointed out Tonks. "And he's most likely not a pure-blood."**  
**

"**I was under the impression that I was speaking to Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden, looking wary, but standing his ground.**

"**That's right!" roared Gaunt. For a moment, Harry thought Gaunt was making an obscene hand gesture, but then realized that he was showing Ogden the ugly, black-stoned ring he was wearing on his middle finger, waving it before Ogden's eyes. "See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from? Centuries it's been in our family, that's how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way! Know how much I've been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone?"**

Sirius blinked in surprise. "The Potters are descendants of the Peverell's he murmured."

"You mean I'm related to these creeps?" asked little Harry in horror.

"Distantly," said _Harry_. "It's explained later on, but there were three Peverell brothers. The Potters are descended from Ignotus and the Gaunts are descended from Cadmus. The oldest brother Antioch didn't have children."

"So, distant cousins," said Percy, who was still trying to get over the idea of one of the evilest wizards being related to one of the best.

"Yep," affirmed _Harry_.

"Why do I have to be related to him?" moaned little Harry.

"All of the Pureblood families are related in one way or another," said Sirius. "I think I've already told you that, but it can be quite a mess trying to figure out relationships. I'm your second cousin and the Weasley children are your third cousins."

"We're related?" asked little Ron and Harry at the same time.

"Yes," said Arthur with a laugh. "I'm not the best at family history, but I know that much about the Black family tree."

Little Ginny stared at little Harry in shock. She was a cousin, yes third cousin, of the Boy-Who-Lived! She had learned that Harry wasn't a superhero, but he still was amazing and she was related to him!

None of the other Weasleys were very surprised. Being one of the pure-blood families meant you were related to everyone somehow or other, especially because their grandmother had been a Black. The Black's literally were related to everyone.

"**I've really no idea," said Ogden, blinking as the ring sailed within an inch of his nose, "and it's quite beside the point, Mr. Gaunt. Your son has committed —"**

**With a howl of rage, Gaunt ran toward his daughter. For a split second, Harry thought he was going to throttle her as his hand flew to her throat; next moment, he was dragging her toward Ogden by a gold chain around her neck.**

"How dare he," snarled Charlie. "She didn't do anything!"**  
**

"**See this?" he bellowed at Ogden, shaking a heavy gold locket at him, while Merope spluttered and gasped for breath.**

"**I see it, I see it!" said Ogden hastily.**

"**Slytherins!" yelled Gaunt. "Salazar Slytherin's! We're his last living descendants, what do you say to that, eh?"**

"Good riddance," said Sirius angrily.

"So, does that make me related to Slytherin?" asked little Harry worriedly.

"No," said Sirius. "The Peverells and the Slytherins were not related until there was marriage between the two families."

Little Harry sighed in relief. it was bad enough being related to these weird people, but being related to Slytherin … He let out a gasp of horror.

"What is it?" asked Sirius quickly.

"If the Gaunts are descendents of Slytherin and Voldemort is a descendent of Slytherin, that makes the Gaunts and Voldemort related. And since I'm related to the Gaunts, that means I'm related to Voldemort!" said little Harry in a rather panicked voice.

_Harry_ looked up in surprise. He hadn't guessed that his younger self would figure out the relationship this early on, but the information about the Peverells had probably helped.

"Really?" asked a repulsed Neville.

_Harry_ nodded slowly in confirmation.

"Who one's relatives is doesn't matter," said little Hermione firmly. "You're not your relatives."

"Why does it seem that everyone I'm related to is weird?" moaned little Harry.

"Not everyone is like that," assured Molly. "I'm certain you have some relatives somewhere that aren't insane. The Potters are one of the oldest wizarding families."

"And are you calling me weird?" asked Sirius with a grin.

"Oh right," said little Harry as the realization dawned on him. "You're a second cousin on Dad's side. Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," assured Sirius.

"He was right about the weirdness factor though," teased Remus.

"Oi!" cried Sirius. "Not you too!"

"Continuing!" announced Tonks in a loud voice to stop the impending argument.

"**Mr. Gaunt, your daughter!" said Ogden in alarm, but Gaunt had already released Merope; she staggered away from him, back to her corner, massaging her neck and gulping for air.**

"That man is not fit to be a father," said Arthur darkly.**  
**

"**So!" said Gaunt triumphantly, as though he had just proved a complicated point beyond all possible dispute. "Don't you go talking to us as if we're dirt on your shoes! Generations of pure-bloods, wizards all — more than you can say, I don't doubt!"**

"Just shut up," muttered Tonks. She hated having to say things like this, even though they weren't technically her words, it was awful hearing them come out of her mouth.**  
**

**And he spat on the floor at Ogden's feet. Morfin cackled again. Merope, huddled beside the window, her head bowed and her face hidden by her lank hair, said nothing.**

"**Mr. Gaunt," said Ogden doggedly, "I am afraid that neither your ancestors nor mine have anything to do with the matter in hand. I am here because of Morfin, Morfin and the Muggle he accosted late last night. Our information"— he glanced down at his scroll of parchment — "is that Morfin performed a jinx or hex on the said Muggle, causing him to erupt in highly painful hives."**

"And considering who he is, he did it for fun," muttered Remus.**  
**

**Morfin giggled.**

"_**Be quiet, boy**_**," snarled Gaunt in Parseltongue, and Morfin fell silent again.**

"**And so what if he did, then?" Gaunt said defiantly to Ogden, "I expect you've wiped the Muggle's filthy face clean for him, and his memory to boot —"**

"Thank Merlin that we do take those actions when something like this happens," said Arthur. "For many Muggles, the wizarding world is simply too much for them to handle. I wish that they could learn more about our world, but it's just too unbelievable for them."**  
**

"**That's hardly the point, is it, Mr. Gaunt?" said Ogden. "This was an unprovoked attack on a defenseless —"**

"**Ar, I had you marked out as a Muggle-lover the moment I saw you," sneered Gaunt, and he spat on the floor again.**

"**This discussion is getting us nowhere," said Ogden firmly. "It is clear from your son's attitude that he feels no remorse for his actions." He glanced down at his scroll of parchment again. "Morfin will attend a hearing on the fourteenth of September to answer the charges of using magic in front of a Muggle and causing harm and distress to that same Mugg —"**

**Ogden broke off. The jingling, clopping sounds of horses and loud, laughing voices were drifting in through the open window. Apparently the winding lane to the village passed very close to the copse where the house stood. Gaunt froze, listening, his eyes wide. Morfin hissed and turned his face toward the sounds, his expression hungry. Merope raised her head. Her face, Harry saw, was starkly white.**

**"My God, what an eyesore!" rang out a girl's voice, as clearly audible through the open window as if she had stood in the room beside them. "Couldn't your father have that hovel cleared away, Tom?"**

"Tom?" asked Charlie quickly. "Tom Riddle Senior?"

"Maybe," said Bill a bit uncertainly.**  
**

"**It's not ours," said a young man's voice. "Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt, and his children. The son's quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village —"**

**The girl laughed. The jingling, clopping noises were growing louder and louder. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.**

"_**Keep your seat**_**," said his father warningly, in Parseltongue.**

"I wonder if that's the Muggle he cursed," mused Percy.

"Considering his reaction, you're probably correct," said Bill.**  
**

"**Tom," said the girl's voice again, now so close they were clearly right beside the house,**

"**I might be wrong — but has somebody nailed a snake to that door?"**

**"Good lord, you're right!" said the man's voice. "That'll be the son, I told you he's not right in the head. Don't look at it, Cecilia, darling."**

**The jingling and clopping sounds were now growing faint again.**

"'_**Darling**_**,'" whispered Morfin in Parseltongue, looking at his sister. "'**_**Darling, he called her. So he wouldn't have you anyway."**_

**Merope was so white Harry felt sure she was going to faint.**

"Wait, so she loves Tom," said Bill. "I'm pretty certain that Tom is Voldemort's father."

"But what about Cecilla?" asked George.

Bill shrugged.**  
**

"_**What's that**_**?" said Gaunt sharply, also in Parseltongue, looking from his son to his daughter. "**_**What did you say, Morfin?"**_

"_**She likes looking at that Muggle**_**," said Morfin, a vicious expression on his face as he stared at his sister, who now looked terrified. "**_**Always in the garden when he passes, peering through the hedge at him, isn't she? And last night —"**_

**Merope shook her head jerkily, imploringly, but Morfin went on ruthlessly, "**_**Hanging out of the window waiting for him to ride home, wasn't she**_**?"**

"_**Hanging out of the window to look at a Muggle**_**?" said Gaunt quietly.**

**All three of the Gaunts seemed to have forgotten Ogden, who was looking both bewildered and irritated at this renewed outbreak of incomprehensible hissing and rasping.**

_**"Is it true**_**?" said Gaunt in a deadly voice, advancing a step or two toward the terrified girl. "**_**My daughter — pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin — hankering after a filthy, dirt-veined Muggle?"**_

"Shut up," muttered Charlie._  
_

**Merope shook her head frantically, pressing herself into the wall, apparently unable to speak.**

"_**But I got him, Father!"**_** cackled Morfin. "**_**I got him as he went by and he didn't look so pretty with hives all over him, did he, Merope**_**?"**

"So he did curse him," growled Sirius.

"_**You disgusting little Squib, you filthy little blood traitor!"**_** roared Gaunt, losing control, and his hands closed around his daughter's throat.**

**Both Harry and Ogden yelled "No!" at the same time; Ogden raised his wand and cried, "Relashio!"**

**Gaunt was thrown backward, away from his daughter; he tripped over a chair and fell flat on his back. With a roar of rage, Morfin leapt out of his chair and ran at Ogden, brandishing his bloody knife and firing hexes indiscriminately from his wand.**

**Ogden ran for his life. **

"Good idea," said Fred.

"He better have come back with reinforcements and taken the two male Gaunt's to prison," growled Remus.

"Don't worry, justice was served," assured _Harry_.**  
**

**Dumbledore indicated that they ought to follow and Harry obeyed, Merope's screams echoing in his ears.**

**Ogden hurtled up the path and erupted onto the main lane, his arms over his head, where he collided with the glossy chestnut horse ridden by a very handsome, dark-haired young man. **

"Gotta be Tom Riddle Senior then," confirmed Bill.

"And I guess Voldemort got his father's looks," said Charlie with a slight shudder.**  
**

**Both he and the pretty girl riding beside him on a gray horse roared with laughter at the sight of Ogden, who bounced off the horse's flank and set off again, his frock coat flying, covered from head to foot in dust, running pell-mell up the lane.**

"**I think that will do, Harry," said Dumbledore. He took Harry by the elbow and tugged. Next moment, they were both soaring weightlessly through darkness, until they landed squarely on their feet, back in Dumbledore's now twilit office.**

"**What happened to the girl in the cottage?" said Harry at once, as Dumbledore lit extra lamps with a flick of his wand. "Merope, or whatever her name was?"**

"You haven't realized who they were?" Sirius asked.

"I was trying to figure out what was going on," _Harry_ defended.

"**Oh, she survived," said Dumbledore, reseating himself behind his desk and indicating that Harry should sit down too. "Ogden Apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements within fifteen minutes. Morfin and his father attempted to fight, but both were overpowered, removed from the cottage, and subsequently convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who already had a record of Muggle attacks, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. Marvolo, who had injured several Ministry employees in addition to Ogden, received six months."**

"**Marvolo?" Harry repeated wonderingly.**

"Marvolo," muttered Percy. "I've heard that before."

"I think that's Voldemort's real middle name," said Bill. "Right?"

"Yes," confirmed _Harry_.

"**That's right," said Dumbledore, smiling in approval. "I am glad to see you're keeping up."**

"**That old man was —?"**

"**Voldemort's grandfather, yes," said Dumbledore.**

"She was treated horribly by her father and yet she still named her son after him," said Molly with a shake of her head.**  
**

** "Marvolo, his son, Morfin, and his daughter, Merope, were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins. **

"I'm really glad I'm not insane, considering the fact that my parents were cousins," said Sirius.

"Like I've said earlier, you are insane," said Remus with a soft smile, "or at least you were insane during our Hogwarts years."

"I think it can be said that all of us are insane," said _Ron_. "We've done some rather crazy things as well."

"Didn't Monty Python say something about sanity being a disease?" wondered _Hermione_.

"Monty what?" asked little Ginny.

"Monty Python, a comedian group," explained _Hermione_. "They basically prided himself on being insane and did many skits, one of which proved that sanity is a disease."**  
**

**Lack of sense coupled with a great liking for grandeur meant that the family gold was squandered several generations before Marvolo was born. He, as you saw, was left in squalor and poverty, with a very nasty temper, a fantastic amount of arrogance and pride, and a couple of family heirlooms that he treasured just as much as his son, and rather more than his daughter."**

"**So Merope," said Harry, leaning forward in his chair and staring at Dumbledore, "so Merope was… Sir, does that mean she was… Voldemort's mother?"**

Little Ron's eyes grew large because only a few minutes previously, he had made a joke about how it was impossible for Merope to be You-Know-Who's mother and it turned out that she actually was.

"Ron, how many times are you going to tell the future as a joke?" asked Fred.

"I dunno," shrugged Ron. "It just happens."

"Wait, so if you're related to the Gaunts, that means you're related to Voldemort!" repeated Bill, though the realization had just hit him. "Distant cousins or something like that."

"That's true," admitted _Harry_. "I did some research, and I think I know the relationship, or at least sort of. Going back and researching wizards in the Medieval Ages is kind of tough. What I did figure out is that there are roughly seven-hundred years between Cadmus and Voldemort, and between Ignotus and myself give or take about fifty years. With that information, I figured out that he relationship is most likely sixth cousins once removed or seventh cousins."

"At least it isn't close," muttered little Harry.

"**It does," said Dumbledore. "And it so happens that we also had a glimpse of Voldemort's father. I wonder whether you noticed?"**

"**The Muggle Morfin attacked? The man on the horse?"**

"**Very good indeed," said Dumbledore, beaming. "Yes, that was Tom Riddle senior, the handsome Muggle who used to go riding past the Gaunt cottage and for whom Merope Gaunt cherished a secret, burning passion."**

"**And they ended up married?" Harry said in disbelief, unable to imagine two people less likely to fall in love.**

"I highly doubt they were in love," said Percy. "Probably Merope used a love potion."**  
**

"**I think you are forgetting," said Dumbledore, "that Merope was a witch. I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantage when she was being terrorized by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban, once she was alone and free for the first time in her life, then, I am sure, she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot her escape from the desperate life she had led for eighteen years.**

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," said Arthur quietly.**  
**

"**Can you not think of any measure Merope could have taken to make Tom Riddle forget his Muggle companion, and fall in love with her instead?"**

"**The Imperius Curse?" Harry suggested. "Or a love potion?"**

"**Very good. Personally, I am inclined to think that she used a love potion. I am sure it would have seemed more romantic to her, and I do not think it would have been very difficult, some hot day, when Riddle was riding alone, to persuade him to take a drink of water. **

"Never take water from a stranger," said Tonks. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Tonks!" cried Remus. "Eardrums, please!"

"Sorry, Remus," apologized Tonks.

"I'm so thankful Mad-Eye isn't here," said _Hermione_. "The guy's great, but a little …"

"Eccentric?" finished Sirius.

"Yeah," agreed _Hermione_.

**In any case, within a few months of the scene we have just witnessed, the village of Little Hangleton enjoyed a tremendous scandal. You can imagine the gossip it caused when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter, Merope.**

"That would be a mess," agreed Luna calmly.**  
**

"**But the villagers' shock was nothing to Marvolo's. He returned from Azkaban, expecting to find his daughter dutifully awaiting his return with a hot meal ready on his table. Instead, he found a clear inch of dust and her note of farewell, explaining what she had done.**

"At least she finally got some bravery, but not a very good sort," said Bill.**  
**

"**From all that I have been able to discover, he never mentioned her name or existence from that time forth. The shock of her desertion may have contributed to his early death — or perhaps he had simply never learned to feed himself. Azkaban had greatly weakened Marvolo, and he did not live to see Morfin return to the cottage."**

"Well, at least the Gaunts have died out," said Charlie. "There's one insane family that only has a single member left, and hopefully he'll be gone soon too."**  
**

"**And Merope? She… she died, didn't she? Wasn't Voldemort brought up in an orphanage?"**

"Zat almost makes you feel sorry for 'im," said Fleur quietly, "but almost."**  
**

"**Yes, indeed," said Dumbledore. "We must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumor flew around the neighborhood that he was talking of being 'hoodwinked' and 'taken in.' What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason."**

"**But she did have his baby."**

"**But not until a year after they were married. Tom Riddle left her while she was still pregnant."**

"How dare he!" said Arthur sharply. This might be You-Know-Who's family, but that didn't stop it from being wrong to abandon a pregnant woman.**  
**

"**What went wrong?" asked Harry. "Why did the love potion stop working?"**

"**Again, this is guesswork," said Dumbledore, "but I believe that Merope, who was deeply in love with her husband, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means. I believe that she made the choice to stop giving him the potion. Perhaps, besotted as she was, she had convinced herself that he would by now have fallen in love with her in return. Perhaps she thought he would stay for the baby's sake. If so, she was wrong on both counts. He left her, never saw her again, and never troubled to discover what became of his son."**

"Until he was murdered by his son," finished Bill.

"William!" scolded Molly.

"It's true," said Bill.

"Yes, but don't say it like that, especially in front of the children," Molly continued.**  
**

**The sky outside was inky black and the lamps in Dumbledore's office seemed to glow more brightly than before.**

"**I think that will do for tonight, Harry," said Dumbledore after a moment or two.**

"**Yes, sir," said Harry.**

**He got to his feet, but did not leave.**

"**Sir… is it important to know all this about Voldemort's past?"**

"**Very important, I think," said Dumbledore.**

"Does it help you defeat him?" asked Sirius.

"It does," _Harry_ confirmed his godfather.**  
**

"**And it… it's got something to do with the prophecy?"**

"**It has everything to do with the prophecy."**

"**Right," said Harry, a little confused, but reassured all the same.**

**He turned to go, then another question occurred to him, and he turned back again. "Sir, am I allowed to tell Ron and Hermione everything you've told me?"**

"Did you honestly ask that question?" wondered _Ron_ in surprise.

"It is in the book," _Harry_ pointed out, "but yes, I did."

"You're weird," said _Ron_. "You ought to have known that you can tell us anything."

"I didn't know in this instance," _Harry_ defended. "It was a different sort of knowledge than what I was used to. I didn't want to get in trouble in case this was something that I needed to keep between myself and Albus."**  
**

**Dumbledore considered him for a moment, then said, "Yes, I think Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have proved themselves trust-worthy. But Harry, I am going to ask you to ask them not to repeat any of this to anybody else. It would not be a good idea if word got around how much I know, or suspect, about Lord Voldemort's secrets."**

"**No, sir, I'll make sure it's just Ron and Hermione. Good night."**

**He turned away again, and was almost at the door when he saw it. Sitting on one of the little spindle-legged tables that supported so many frail-looking silver instruments, was an ugly gold ring set with a large, cracked, black stone.**

"Th-that's the ring from the memory!" cried Arthur in shock.**  
**

"**Sir," said Harry, staring at it. "That ring —"**

**"Yes?" said Dumbledore.**

**"You were wearing it when we visited Professor Slughorn that night."**

"**So I was," Dumbledore agreed.**

"**But isn't it… sir, isn't it the same ring Marvolo Gaunt showed Ogden?"**

**Dumbledore bowed his head. "The very same."**

"**But how come —? Have you always had it?"**

**"No, I acquired it very recently," said Dumbledore. "A few days before I came to fetch you from your aunt and uncle's, in fact."**

"How'd you get it?" asked little Ron quickly.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore kindly, but inside he was thinking hard. Perhaps the ring was what had cursed him, but whatever curse had been placed upon the ring had to have been placed sometime after this event. Perhaps even Tom Riddle had done it. Could the ring be a Horcrux? It made sense as it was a valuable Peverell artifact. He wasn't certain about the amount of Horcruxes Voldemort had, but he knew there had to be more than just the diary and perhaps even more than two.**  
**

"**That would be around the time you injured your hand, then, sir?"**

"**Around that time, yes, Harry."**

**Harry hesitated. Dumbledore was smiling.**

"**Sir, how exactly —?"**

"**Too late, Harry! You shall hear the story another time. Good night."**

"You really don't want him to know, do you," said Molly.

"I suppose," said Dumbledore, "but I do not yet know the reason for my hesitation as I do not know the means by which I acquired such an injury."**  
**

"**Good night, sir."**

"Well, that's done," said Tonks. "Who's reading next?"

"I am," answered Fred and he took the book.

* * *

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I had a good time at my sister's house. I agree that the chapter was kinda boring, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.**_

_**Totallyobsessed: Thanks for the review. Sorry it took so long to update, but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. They won't find out until it happens, though Sirius does suspect it.**_

_**Furionknight: Thanks for the smile.**_

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review.**_

_**totallyobsessed123: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.**_

* * *

_**A/N I did do the math, and the births of Voldemort and Harry were both roughly 700-750 years after the Peverells were born. Going from that, and the fact that most wizards live to be around the age of 100, I figured that they had to be either sixth cousins once removed or seventh cousins.**_


	12. Hermione's Helping Hand

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_This chapter was pretty short, so it made it easy to write fast. It would've been up earlier, but I've just gotten some Phantom of the Opera piano music and have been playing it quite a bit today. Enjoy the chapter.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. _**

"What did you do, _Hermione_?" asked Fred as he turned the page and read.

**Hermione's Helping Hand**

"Is this when you …?" began _Harry_.

"Probably," _Hermione_ interrupted quickly. She didn't want to get into this discussion unless it was completely unavoidable, which it probably was, so she wished to delay it for as long as possible.

**As Hermione had predicted, the sixth years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vast amount of homework they were being set. Not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. Harry barely understood half of what Professor McGonagall said to them these days;**

"NEWT level can be quite complicated," admitted Bill. "There's a bit of a learning curve you have to get used to."**  
**

** even Hermione had had to ask her to repeat instructions once or twice.**

"WHAT?" asked George. "Did you read that correctly?"

"Yes," answered Fred rather firmly, but before he could continue reading, Bill interrupted.

"Asking is not a sign of stupidity," said Bill. "You're supposed to ask questions if you don't understand the material. It can help you learn better."

Little Harry looked up in surprise. He had always kept his head down, both at the Dursleys and at school. Eventually the teachers had stopped calling on him to answer questions and as he never asked any, he had gotten the reputation of not caring. That wasn't true though. He longed to ask and answer questions, but he would get in trouble because Dudley would tell on him.

"_Harry_?" asked Sirius quietly, addressing the older version of his godson. "Can I talk with you for a moment?" Sirius had seen little Harry's look at Bill's statement and knew that there had to be something not right surrounding it.

"Sure," said _Harry_ getting up, not really knowing what Sirius wanted.**  
**

The two went into the kitchen and Sirius cast a silencing spell on the kitchen door to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard.

"What's wrong?" asked _Harry_.

"_Harry_, I've noticed throughout all of these books that you've barely asked questions in class," said Sirius slowly. "is that normal?"

Harry gulped and answered, "Yeah, it is."

"Is that just your personality?" Sirius wondered. "Because if it is, I have absolutely no clue where it could've come from. Lily was always wondering and trying to figure our complicated spells and James, well if it the spell in question had the remotest chance of being used as a prank, he was determined to learn it."

_Harry_ sighed. "I guess it's a part of my personality that has been forced onto me," he said slowly. "The Dursley's didn't let me ask questions and I figured that rule applied in school too. By the time I got to Hogwarts it was to ingrained in me to stop."

"Oh, Harry," sighed Sirius with a shake of his head. "You should've realized that that was a dumb rule."

"I was three," _Harry_ muttered. He shut his eyes for a brief moment before adding, "I got in trouble every time I asked a question."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Sirius as his eyes narrowed.

"It's been about ten years, Sirius," said _Harry_. "I don't want to relive old memories of that sort."

That was enough of an answer for Sirius. His godson had been starved, injured, made to sleep in a cupboard, and got in trouble for being a child. "_Harry_, does anyone know about this?"

_Harry_ knew by the look in Sirius' eyes that there was no way of getting out of this situation without coming clean. "Yes," he said and after a moment's pause added, "some of it. Some stuff that happened when I was little no one knows as it's too painful to bring up the memories."

Suddenly, Harry found himself embraced in a hug. "I know that feeling all to well," Sirius said quietly. "Many horrible things happened with my parents during my childhood."

"Thanks, Sirius," murmured _Harry_. "You understand that there just are some things I can't talk about. Mostly it's Hogwarts stuff like the graveyard, the ministry, and some of the stuff that happened this year and next."

"I do, _Harry_," assured Sirius, "but there are some things you shouldn't keep bottled up. I finally learned that when your father kicked some sense into me."

"I know, but I can't talk about these things to anyone," _Harry_ said in his defense. "I've manged to do so for twenty-five years, until these books at any rate."

"_Harry_, it's good that we're learning this information, especially _Ron_, _Hermione_, and _Ginny_," said Sirius. "You keep things in and and blame yourself for too long. You have to learn that it's okay to ask for help when you need it."

"I'm working on that," said _Harry_, "but I've rarely asked for help in my life. It just isn't something I do."

"You have an independent streak, which isn't bad in itself. It's when you let it completely take control that things get bad," said Sirius.

"I understand what you're saying, Sirius," said _Harry_.

"Harry, one last question," said Sirius before _Harry_ could escape. "What did happen if you asked questions?"

_Harry_ suddenly stiffened and he desperately wanted to get out of the room.

"_Harry_?"

"It depended on the question and who was there," _Harry_ mumbled. He as mad at himself for letting his defenses fall. No one had asked him this before, but then, there hadn't ever been a reason.

"Like what?"

"If it had to do with chores and only Petunia was around, she'd angrily explain," said _Harry_. "Vernon would tell me I was an idiot and tell me to figure it out on my own."

"How old were you?" asked Sirius as he tried to stay calm.

_Harry_ shrugged, but he continued knowing that Sirius would continue to press him otherwise. "The worst questions I could ask had to do with Mum and Dad," said Harry in a small voice. "The best thing that would happen would be I was thrown into the cupboard, the worst …" _Harry's_ voice suddenly broke off. He couldn't continue, but then he saw Sirius' look of concerned understanding, took a deep breath and finished, "The worst I… I got… "

"Got what?" asked Sirius, though he was fairly certain what _Harry's_ answer would be.

"I got the belt," said _Harry_ very quickly.

Sirius shut his eyes to try and calm himself. He had suspected something like this, but it was always worse when it came directly out of someone's mouth.

"Sirius, I really don't want to talk about this anymore," said _Harry_ firmly. "Let's get back to the sitting room. They're still waiting for us you know."

"Very well," responded Sirius quietly, "but _Harry_, please remember that questions are natural. You have to ask them and ask for help."

"I know," said _Harry_ and he quickly undid the silencing spell on the door.

Once back in the sitting room, Ginny asked, "What was that about?"

"Not right now, _Ginny_," said _Harry_. "It's not something I like to discuss."

Sirius sat down with his head in his hands trying to process what had just happened. _Harry_ didn't ask questions and didn't ask for help because he got in trouble for doing it. He was determined that little Harry would not be afraid to ask anything.

"What happened?" asked Remus in a whisper.

Sirius sighed and quietly whispered back, "Harry doesn't ask questions because he always got in trouble for it."

Remus stared at Sirius unbelievably. "H-How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted, "but he was either yelled at, put in the… cupboard, or, well, … got the belt."

At that statement, it took everything in Sirius' power to keep Remus from jumping up and going off to mutilate the Dursleys. "Not now," Sirius whispered through gritted teeth. Remus sat down, but he was still fuming.

Little Harry looked up curiously, "What's wrong with Uncle Moony?" he asked Sirius.

Sirius smiled softly. He was grateful that little Harry wasn't afraid to ask him questions at any rate. "He's a little mad right now, but don't worry, he'll calm down soon."

Little Harry looked at Remus a bit nervously. He was still getting used to the idea that people could be mad at things other than himself.

Once everything had settled down, Fred continued to read.

** Incredibly, and to Hermione's increasing resentment, Harry's best subject had suddenly become Potions, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince.**

_Ron_ snorted. "What would he say if he found about about the book?"

"I do not want to know," said _Harry_ as his eyes went wide. "He already sort of knows, at least, spell wise."

"So you find out who the Half-Blood Prince is?" asked Bill.

"Yes, and you'll find out later on in this book," said _Harry_.**  
**

"How many times will you say that?" wondered Tonks.

"As many times as I have to," _Harry_ answered.

**Nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Harry frequently looked over at his classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on U-No-Poo; **

"That is an accurate description," said Dumbledore. "The transition from verbal to nonverbal spells can be quite challenging."**  
**

"Tell me about it," muttered Bill. He had finally managed to overcome the hurdle of learning nonverbal spells and now he loved using them. It certainly made playing prank a lot easier.

**but he knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud. It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.**

"_Harry_!" scolded Remus.

"You've got to admit that he has a point though," said Sirius. "That thing was annoying."

"But not to the point of swearing!"

"They have to release their vocals somewhere," said Sirius in response.

"Wouldn't that be the point of the choir?" asked Bill.

"This discussion is going nowhere," said Molly "Fred, please keep reading."

**One result of their enormous workload and the frantic hours of practicing nonverbal spells was that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had so far been unable to find time to go and visit Hagrid. He had stopped coming to meals at the staff table, an ominous sign, and on the few occasions when they had passed him in the corridors or out in the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice them or hear their greetings.**

"He's taking it hard," winced Charlie.

"I would hate it if Hagrid avoided me," said Percy quietly. He didn't exactly go searching for Hagrid, but especially in his first few weeks, Hagrid was just a nice guy to keep company with.

"**We've got to go and explain," said Hermione, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturday at breakfast.**

"**We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron. "And we're supposed to be practicing that Aguamenti Charm from Flitwick!**

"That spell isn't too hard," said Bill and to prove it, he discretely and nonverbally cast it on Charlie's neck.

"Bill!" Charlie screeched as he leapt up from his seat. "What the hell did you do?"**  
**

Before Charlie could rant any longer, Bill quickly performed a drying spell. Charlie glared at his brother, but as he was no longer wet, he didn't wish to get into an argument at the moment.

"Boys," muttered Molly with a shake of her head. If Bill was this bad when he could legally do magic, she dreaded to think of what the twins would be like. The descriptions of their antics in the books were bad enough, but she knew that they were bound to be worse.

** Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?"**

"**We didn't hate it!" said Hermione.**

**"Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts,"**

"Those things did sound dangerous," agreed Charlie, who was still mad at Bill for the water incident.**  
**

"Not to mention illegal," added Percy.

"If Hagrid still breeds them-"

"Can we get one as a pet?"

"Absolutely no!" cried a horrified Molly. She couldn't believe that such an idea could cross the twins minds, but then, nearly everything crossed their minds as long as it wasn't school related.

** said Ron darkly. "And I'm telling you now, we've had a narrow escape. You didn't hear him going on about his gormless brother — we'd have been teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed."**

"I doubt Hagrid would've gone that far," said Arthur slowly.

"Actually, he probably would've incorporated Grawp into a lesson somehow," said _Harry_.**  
**

"**I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.**

"**We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. **

"**But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."**

"It's because of you, sweetheart," said _Ginny_ softly and causing _Harry's_ ears to turn a bit red.

"**Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."**

"And I did not mean that in a romantic way," said _Hermione_ firmly. "I'm sorry you took it like that, _Ron_."

"It's okay," _Ron_ assured. "I was an idiot to think you liked him in that fashion."

"Wait, you thought _Hermione_ was in love with _Harry_?" asked Tonks as an embarrassed _Ron_ nodded.

"A lot of sixth year involved crazy love triangles," said _Ginny_ and as she exchanged a glance with _Harry_ added, "but some awesome moments as well."

**Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.**

"**Everyone knows you've been telling the truth now, don't they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they're calling you 'the Chosen One' — well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?"**

"And it's annoying," muttered _Harry_. "I still get love letters, mainly from teenage girls, but I'm married!"

"Relax, _Harry_," said _Ginny, _placing her hand on his shoulder. "Most of those letters are very amusing. It's the one from people older than you that are awkward."

"You got that right," said _Harry_ with an ever so slight shudder. "Those ladies can be creepy."

**Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy.**

"**And you've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway…"**

"Because it was true," _Harry_ muttered. _Honestly, couldn't people see that he stuck with the truth and didn't do anything for the sake of popularity?_**  
**

"**You can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Ministry, look," said Ron, shaking back his sleeves.**

"They're still there, correct?" said Arthur.

_Ron_ nodded. "They're not as visible as they used to be though," he said, leaving out the fact that the reason they weren't as visible were because they were covered with other scars, from the battle and from being an Auror.

"**And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer either," Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.**

"Sorry," apologized _Hermione_. "I was just trying to reassure Harry."

"It's fine," said _Ron_, "since I now know exactly what you were doing."

"**I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially.**

"I think giant might be a better word," muttered _Ginny_.

"Oi!" cried _Ron_. "I'm not Grwap!"**  
**

**The post owls arrived, swooping down through rain-flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most people were receiving more post than usual; anxious parents were keen to hear from their children and to reassure them, in turn, that all was well at home. Harry had received no mail since the start of term; his only regular correspondent was now dead and although he had hoped that Lupin might write occasionally, he had so far been disappointed.**

"Why aren't you writing?" asked Sirius angrily.

"I don't know," said Remus in defense. "I have to have some reason."

"He has a valid reason, which will be revealed," assured _Harry_.

That statement didn't quite settle very well with Sirius, but he sat back.

"I'm really sorry that I didn't write you," said Remus softly. "Whatever I was doing, it must've been impossible for me to write to you."

"Don't worry, it's fine," said _Harry_. "And yes, you were unable to write to me."

Remus nodded slowly, wondering if he was infiltrating a werewolf camp. That would be the only logical explanation for not writing _Harry_.

**He was very surprised, therefore, to see the snowy white Hedwig circling amongst all the brown and gray owls. She landed in front of him carrying a large, square package. A moment later, an identical package landed in front of Ron, crushing beneath it his minuscule and exhausted owl, Pigwidgeon.**

"**Ha!" said Harry, unwrapping the parcel to reveal a new copy of Advanced Potion-Making, fresh from Flourish and Blotts.**

"**Oh good," said Hermione, delighted. "Now you can give that gratified copy back."**

"If I know my godson, that won't be happening," said Sirius. "That book's too good to give up."

"**Are you mad?" said Harry. "I'm keeping it! Look, I've thought it out —"**

**He pulled the old copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bag and tapped the cover with his wand, muttering, "Diffindo!" The cover fell off. He did the same thing with the brand-new book (Hermione looked scandalized).**

"He destroyed a book!" _Hermione_ said in defense. Hardly anyone looked overly bothered, except for Bill, Percy, Remus, and Molly. Dumbledore looked somewhat put out, but he knew that Harry wouldn't maliciously destroy a book unlike some students.

"That's one of the worst things you can do," added little Hermione angrily. _Books were precious as each one contained an entire world. Who cared if there were multiple copies of the same book, it still was an entire world between two covers._

**He then swapped the covers, tapped each, and said, "Reparo!"**

**There sat the Prince's copy, disguised as a new book, and there sat the fresh copy from Flourish and Blotts, looking thoroughly secondhand.**

"Well, that is one way of doing it," admitted Sirius with a wide grin. "And that book will probably come in handy."

"Oh, it did," said _Harry_, "though there are some things I wish I hadn't tried that were in it."

"Like what?" wondered Sirius.

"You'll find out," _Harry_ winced. Some of the spells, such as _Muffliato_ or _Levicorpus_ were harmless and sometimes helpful spells, where as _Sectumsempra_ were harmful, lethal spells and ought to be banned.

"**I'll give Slughorn back the new one, he can't complain, it cost nine Galleons."**

**Hermione pressed her lips together, looking angry and disapproving, but was distracted by a third owl landing in front of her carrying that day's copy of the Daily Prophet. She unfolded it hastily and scanned the front page.**

"**Anyone we know dead?" asked Ron in a determinedly casual voice; he posed the same question every time Hermione opened her paper.**

Molly went white because she clearly remembered the days when any day anyone could die.

"Everyone in our family has to live through something like that," she said quietly, "some of us twice." Arthur gently pulled her towards himself in order to calm her.

"We will change this, Mum," said Bill seriously. "I clearly remember the horror I felt when I looked at the paper at age ten. I don't want to go through that feeling again and I don't want my siblings to have to go through it either."

"No one should over go through that feeling," said Arthur firmly. "I truly hope that we manage to get out of this war fine, but if it does happen …" Arthur's voice trailed off and he didn't continue.

Bill and Charlie exchanged a brief look. They were absolutely certain that someone in their personal family died, otherwise why would they have been chosen to read, besides the fact that Ron and Harry were best friends that is. Also, they had heard many of the whispered mutterings of the time travelers, and Fred's name had rarely been mentioned, but everyone else had been mentioned rather frequently. Ron had already said something about enjoying the twins sentences while it lasted, but both of them hoped that it didn't have to do with one of the twins' deaths.

"**No, but there have been more Dementor attacks," said Hermione. "And an arrest."**

"Who?" asked George, but Fred was staring at the book in shock.

"What's wrong?" asked Arthur. In answer, Fred continued to read.

"**Excellent, who?" said Harry, thinking of Bellatrix Lestrange.**

"They'll never catch her again unless she's dead," said Sirius, "and I hope she is killed in this war."

"**Stan Shunpike," said Hermione.**

"What?"

"That can't be!"

"Did they arrest the wrong person?"

"Was someone impersonating Stan?"

"How in the name of Merlin is that possible?"

"Stan, un Mangemort? Impossible!" cried Fleur, breaking out into French as similar phrases were echoed throughout the room.

"Let's read an see what happened," said Arthur quietly. He was certain that Stan couldn't be a Death Eater, but then you never could tell.

"**What?" said Harry, startled.**

"'**Stanley Shunpike, conductor on the popular Wizarding conveyance the Knight Bus, has been arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Mr. Shunpike, 21, was taken into custody late last night after a raid on his Clapham home… '"**

"**Stan Shunpike, a Death Eater?" said Harry, remembering the spotty youth he had first met three years before. "No way!"**

"**He might have been put under the Imperius Curse," said Ron reasonably. "You never can tell."**

"Let's hope that's the truth in this case," said Remus. Stan might be an annoying person, but he wasn't a Death Eater.

"**It doesn't look like it," said Hermione, who was still reading. "It says here he was arrested after he was overheard talking about the Death Eaters' secret plans in a pub." She looked up with a troubled expression on her face. "If he was under the Imperius Curse, he'd hardly stand around gossiping about their plans, would he?"**

"Unless of course they were trying to get him arrested to keep the main Death Eaters safe," said Bill.**  
**

"That could be an interesting diverting tactic," agreed Sirius.

"**It sounds like he was trying to make out he knew more than he did," said Ron. "Isn't he the one who claimed he was going to become Minister of Magic when he was trying to chat up those veela?"**

"**Yeah, that's him," said Harry. "I dunno what they're playing at, taking Stan seriously."**

"Well, a lot of people weren't taken seriously in the first war and the first year of the second war," said _Hermione_. "I think they were trying to make up for lost time, but ended up wasting time by arresting the wrong people."**  
**

"So, Stan isn't a Death Eater," confirmed Tonks and _Harry_ nodded in answer. This wasn't overly important to the rest of the story, so it didn't matter if they knew.

"They always arrest good people," said little Ginny. "Mr. Sirius and then Mr. Stan."

Sirius grimaced at the reminder, but was also amused by little Ginny's addressing of him. He was about to tell her to call him Sirius when Fred continued to read.

**"They probably want to look as though they're doing something," said Hermione, frowning.**

"**People are terrified — you know the Patil twins' parents want them to go home? And Eloise Midgen has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night."**

"Hogwarts is safer then them being at home though," said Sirius. "What with the wards around Hogwarts and everything." A week ago, he would've included Dumbledore in that statement, but now he wasn't entirely sure.

**"What!" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "But Hogwarts is safer than their homes, bound to be! We've got Aurors, and all those extra protective spells, and we've got Dumbledore!"**

"Sirius, you and Ron are so similar, it's downright scary," said Remus.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" wondered Sirius.

"Perhaps a complement in a round about way," said Remus, "but you've got to admit it's kind of strange."

"It's happened several times already, so, no, it's not overly strange," said Sirius.**  
**

"**I don't think we've got him all the time," said Hermione very quietly, glancing toward the staff table over the top of the Prophet. "Haven't you noticed? His seat's been empty as often as Hagrid's this past week."**

"You're supposed to be taking care of the school!" cried Sirius. "How can you be headmaster and not be at the school?"

"Sirius," said Dumbledore rather sternly. "Remember, the war is on and I'm also head of the Order of the Phoenix."**  
**

"Yes, but she life of the students is also important," retorted Sirius. Fred quickly began to read again before a full-fledged argument could start.

**Harry and Ron looked up at the staff table. The headmaster's chair was indeed empty. Now Harry came to think of it, he had not seen Dumbledore since their private lesson a week ago.**

"You're not deliberately avoiding him, are you?" asked Sirius darkly.

"He wasn't," said _Harry_ quickly before yet another argument would start. "Like Albus just said, there was a lot of stuff going on that he had to attend to as well. Minerva is an excellent pair of hands to leave the school in."**  
**

"**I think he's left the school to do something with the Order," said Hermione in a low voice. "I mean… it's all looking serious, isn't it?"**

**Harry and Ron did not answer, but Harry knew that they were all thinking the same thing. There had been a horrible incident the day before, when Hannah Abbott had been taken out of Herbology to be told her mother had been found dead. **

Fred stared at the book in shock for several moments.**  
**

"And so it begins," said Remus quietly. Many children had lost one, if not both parents during the first war. Up until now he had hoped that a repeat of those events could be avoided, but it was not to be. So much could be changed with such a small sentence.

Sirius stared straight ahead. Hannah's had been the year below him at Hogwarts. She hadn't been a Gryffindor, but she had still been one of his friends.

Even the children were shocked. Yet again, a simple sentence changed everything. It was amazing how much could be packed into so few words.

"Poor girl," murmured Molly softly as they were the only words she could manage to say.

There was a brief silence before Fred managed to read again.

**They had not seen Hannah since.**

**When they left the Gryffindor table five minutes later to head down to the Quidditch pitch, they passed Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Remembering what Hermione had said about the Patil twins' parents wanting them to leave Hogwarts, Harry was unsurprised to see that the two best friends were whispering together, looking distressed. What did surprise him was that when Ron drew level with them, Parvati suddenly nudged Lavender, who looked around and gave Ron a wide smile. Ron blinked at her, then returned the smile uncertainly. His walk instantly became something more like a strut.**

"Oh great," groaned _Ron_. "It's too much to hope that there isn't that incident in this book."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said _Harry_ with a smile. "You were acting like an idiot."

"Which is why I don't want it in the book!" protested _Ron_.

"What are you two talking about?" wondered Percy.

"Something you're bound to find out," muttered a somewhat red _Ron_.

"Does this have to do with the love triangles?" asked Arthur.

"No," said _Ron_ firmly as _Harry_, _Ginny_, and _Hermione_ answered, "Yes."

**Harry resisted the temptation to laugh, remembering that Ron had refrained from doing so after Malfoy had broken Harry's nose; Hermione, however, looked cold and distant all the way down to the stadium through the cool, misty drizzle, and departed to find a place in the stands without wishing Ron good luck.**

"No you've got Hermione mad," winced Neville. "That can't be good."**  
**

"It's not," _Ron_ agreed.

**As Harry had expected, the trials took most of the morning. Half of Gryffindor House seemed to have turned up, from first years who were nervously clutching a selection of the dreadful old school brooms, to seventh years who towered over the rest, looking coolly intimidating. The latter included a large, wiry-haired boy Harry recognized immediately from the Hogwarts Express**.

"Not him," Sirius groaned. "He's already a git. If he gets on the Quidditch team…"

"**We met on the train, in old Sluggy's compartment," he said confidently, stepping out of the crowd to shake Harry's hand. "Cormac McLaggen, Keeper."**

"That git," growled _Ron_.

"What did he do to deserve that title?" wondered Bill. "You already called him that earlier today, but he had only been at Slughorn's party."

"You'll find out soon enough," _Ron_ said darkly.

"**You didn't try out last year, did you?" asked Harry, taking note of the breadth of McLaggen and thinking that he would probably block all three goal hoops without even moving.**

"**I was in the hospital wing when they held the trials," said McLaggen, with something of a swagger. "Ate a pound of doxy eggs for a bet."**

"Okay, that definitely qualifies as an idiot," confirmed Charlie. "Who gave him the bet?"

"Who do you think?" asked _Harry_ with a smile.

"Oh, Merlin, not the twins!" said Bill in a mixture of anger and happiness. It figured that the twins would do something like that, but it also could have ended up being very dangerous.

"It was," said _Harry_. "They were just being themselves."

"**Right," said Harry. "Well… if you wait over there…"**

**He pointed over to the edge of the pitch, close to where Hermione was sitting. He thought he saw a flicker of annoyance pass over McLaggen's face and wondered whether McLaggen expected preferential treatment because they were both "old Sluggy's" favorites.**

"He'll get what he deserves, and that is getting booted off of the Quidditch field," said Charlie firmly.

"You haven't even met the guy!" said Tonks.

"He acts like a complete idiot and does not have a very good reputation," defended Charlie. "You never let anything get in the way of trying out for Quidditch."

"Is that your only reason for disliking him?" asked Bill.

"No, Ron hates him," said Charlie.

"Let me get to the tryouts!" cried Fred.

**Harry decided to start with a basic test, asking all applicants for the team to divide into groups of ten and fly once around the pitch. This was a good decision: the first ten was made up of first years, and it could not have been plainer that they had hardly ever flown before. Only one boy managed to remain airborne for more than a few seconds, and he was so surprised he promptly crashed into one of the goal posts.**

"Poor kid," murmured Molly.

**The second group was comprised of ten of the silliest girls Harry had ever encountered, who, when he blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another. Romilda Vane was amongst them. When he told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else.**

**The third group had a pileup halfway around the pitch. Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks. **

"Useless," muttered Charlie.**  
**

**The fifth group were Hufflepuffs.**

"What?" cried Tonks in astonishment._ How on earth did they think they could get on the team?_

"**If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor," roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, "leave now, please!**

**There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter.**

"Honestly, what were they thinking?" asked Bill. "Only Gryffindors can play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

**After two hours, many complaints, and several tantrums, one involving a crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth, Harry had found himself three Chasers: Katie Bell, returned to the team after an excellent trial; a new find called Demelza Robins,**

"She's a nice girl," said _Ginny_, "same year as me. She became on of my friends in second year."**  
**

** who was particularly good at dodging Bludgers; and Ginny Weasley, who had outflown all the competition and scored seventeen goals to boot. **

**Pleased though he was with his choices, Harry had also shouted himself hoarse at the many complainers and was now enduring a similar battle with the rejected Beaters.**

"Not to mention that they weren't near as good as the twins," added _Harry_, with a wistful look in his eyes, that thankfully no one caught.

"I doubt anyone can beat them, unless they were twins themselves," said Bill. "Those two always know what move the other will make, or at least it seems like that."

"**That's my final decision and if you don't get out of the way of the Keepers I'll hex you," he bellowed.**

**Neither of his chosen Beaters had the old brilliance of Fred and George, but he was still reasonably pleased with them: Jimmy Peakes, a short but broad-chested third-year boy who had managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry's head with a ferociously hit Bludger, and Ritchie Coote, who looked weedy but aimed well. **

"That's what you need in a Beater, though the Slytherins always go for size," said Sirius.**  
**

**They now joined Katie, Demelza, and Ginny in the stands to watch the selection of their last team member.**

**Harry had deliberately left the trial of the Keepers until last, hoping for an emptier stadium and less pressure on all concerned.**

"Whatever you do right away generally has the least amount of people," said Bill, who had observed this from his years on the Quidditch team.

"Thanks for trying," said _Ron_ with a half smile. At least he'd gotten on the team.

**Unfortunately, however, all the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd by now, so that it was larger than ever. As each Keeper flew up to the goal hoops, the crowd roared and jeered in equal measure. Harry glanced over at Ron, who had always had a problem with nerves; Harry had hoped that winning their final match last term might have cured it, but apparently not: Ron was a delicate shade of green.**

**None of the first five applicants saved more than two goals apiece.**

"No competition there," said Bill with a grin. He was hoping that _Ron_ would get on the team for another year.**  
**

** To Harry's great disappointment, Cormac McLaggen saved four penalties out of five. On the last one, however, he shot off in completely the wrong direction;**

"Must've been an awesome feint," said Charlie. "That, or he is an idiot, which he is."

**the crowd laughed and booed and McLaggen returned to the ground grinding his teeth.**

**Ron looked ready to pass out as he mounted his Cleansweep Eleven. "Good luck!" cried a voice from the stands. Harry looked around, expecting to see Hermione, but it was Lavender Brown. **

**He would have quite liked to have hidden his face in his hands, as she did a moment later, but thought that as the Captain he ought to show slightly more grit, and so turned to watch Ron do his trial.**

**Yet he need not have worried: Ron saved one, two, three, four, five penalties in a row.**

"Yes!" The sitting room erupted into a sea of cheers. _Ron's_ face turned slightly red at all of the attention.

"This was nine years ago," he muttered, but to no avail.

The cheers were stopped by a cry of 'Mama' from the bedroom.

"I'll be back in just a moment," _Ginny_ said and she hurried into the bedroom. A few minutes later she returned with a rosy cheeked James. "Okay, then," she said. "I'll give him a bit more to wake up, then he should get a bit of exercise and a snack."

"Will I be as good as you someday?" asked little Ron, going back to the fact that his future self was an excellent Keeper.

"Of course," said _Ron_. "You're my younger self."

Once the room had calmed down enough for him to be heard, Fred continued to read.

**Delighted, and resisting joining in the cheers of the crowd with difficulty, Harry turned to McLaggen to tell him that, most unfortunately, Ron had beaten him, only to find McLaggen's red face inches from his own. He stepped back hastily.**

**"His sister didn't really try," said McLaggen menacingly. There was a vein pulsing in his temple like the one Harry had often ad-mired in Uncle Vernon's.**

"**She gave him an easy save."**

"Like I'd go easy on my brother," muttered _Ginny_ indignantly as she shifted into a comfortable position. It was hard to deal with a fourteen-month-old who wanted you and being eight months pregnant.

"**Rubbish," said Harry coldly. "That was the one he nearly missed."**

**McLaggen took a step nearer Harry, who stood his ground this time.**

"**Give me another go."**

"**No," said Harry. "You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Get out of my way."**

"Way to teach him a lesson!" said George, pumping his fist in the air.

**He thought for a moment that McLaggen might punch him, but he contented himself with an ugly grimace and stormed away, growling what sounded like threats to thin air.**

"I'd watch out if I were you," said Tonks. "He doesn't sound like a very nice fellow at all."**  
**

**Harry turned around to find his new team beaming at him.**

"**Well done," he croaked. "You flew really well —"**

"**You did brilliantly, Ron!"**

**This time it really was Hermione running toward them from the stands; **

"What happened to Lavender?" asked George, but was answered by Fred's continual reading.**  
**

**Harry saw Lavender walking off the pitch, arm in arm with Parvati, a rather grumpy expression on her face. Ron looked extremely pleased with himself and even taller than usual as he grinned at the team and at Hermione.**

**After fixing the time of their first full practice for the following Thursday, Harry, Ron, and Hermione bade good-bye to the rest of the team and headed off toward Hagrid's. A watery sun was trying to break through the clouds now and it had stopped drizzling at last. Harry felt extremely hungry; he hoped there would be something to eat at Hagrid's.**

"I never thought you'd think that," said _Ron_ in surprise. "Even I try to avoid Hagrid's cooking."**  
**

"**I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty," Ron was saying happily. "Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of spin on it —"**

**"Yes, yes, you were magnificent," said Hermione, looking amused.**

"**I was better than that McLaggen anyway," said Ron in a highly satisfied voice. "Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he'd been Confunded…"**

**To Harry's surprise, Hermione turned a very deep shade of pink at these words.**

"What did you do?" asked Charlie rather sharply.

"You'll find out," _Hermione_ murmured.

"You better not have done what I think you've done," Charlie muttered angrily. Using magic in a Quidditch game was banned and resulted in a penalty.

_Ron_ looked at his wife curiously, but he didn't say anything.

**Ron noticed nothing; he was too busy describing each of his other penalties in loving detail.**

**"If you keep that up, you'll be worse than Charlie," said Bill with a grin.**

"OI!" cried Charlie and both of the Rons.

**The great gray hippogriff, Buckbeak, was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin. He clicked his razor-sharp beak at their approach and turned his huge head toward them.**

"**Oh dear," said Hermione nervously. "He's still a bit scary, isn't he?"**

"You simply aren't a fan of magical creatures," said Charlie.

"I liked Crookshanks, thank you very much," retorted _Hermione_.**  
**

**"Come off it, you've ridden him, haven't you?" said Ron. Harry stepped forward and bowed low to the hippogriff without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too.**

"**How are you?" Harry asked him in a low voice, moving forward to stroke the feathery head. "Missing him? But you're okay here with Hagrid, aren't you?"**

"**Oy!" said a loud voice.**

**Hagrid had come striding around the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forward.**

"**Git away from him! He'll have yer fingers — oh. It's yeh lot."**

**Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.**

"Wow, Hagrid's really mad at them," said Percy. "How do you fix this?"

"In an interesting way," answered _Hermione_.

"**Oh dear!" said Hermione, looking stricken.**

"**Don't worry about it," said Harry grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"**

**There was no sound from within.**

"**If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry said, pulling out his wand.**

"Harry James!" admonished Sirius. "Never threaten Hagrid!"

"**Harry!" said Hermione, sounding shocked. "You can't possibly —"**

**"Yeah, I can!" said Harry. "Stand back —"**

**But before he could say anything else, the door flew open again as Harry had known it would, and there stood Hagrid, glowering down at him and looking, despite the flowery apron, positively alarming.**

"So it is possible to look scary while wearing flowers," mused Tonks.

"If you're Hagrid," said little Ginny. "I don't think anyone else could do that."

"Well, Mum might," said George slowly.

"What do you mean?" wondered Molly.

"You can be terrifying at times," said George, "even when wearing your flowered apron."

**"I'm a teacher!" he roared at Harry. "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"**

"Since when does 'Agrid call you by your last name?" asked Fleur in surprise.**  
**

"Just this once," answered _Harry_ with a grin.

"**I'm sorry, sir" said Harry, emphasizing the last word as he stowed his wand inside his robes.**

"You called Hagrid 'sir'?" asked a stunned Bill.

"Uh, yeah," said _Harry_ a bit awkwardly.

"If anything, that should show him that you still like him," said Charlie.

**Hagrid looked stunned. "Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?"**

"**Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"**

"**Oh, very clever," growled Hagrid. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yeh ungrateful little…"**

"It's clear that he's missed you," assured Charlie. "If he hadn't, he wouldn't have let you in."**  
**

**Mumbling darkly, he stood back to let them pass. Hermione scurried in after Harry, looking rather frightened.**

"**Well?" said Hagrid grumpily, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down around his enormous wooden table, Fang laying his head immediately upon Harry's knee and drooling all over his robes. "What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"**

"No, they're simply your friends who wish to see you," answered Molly simply. No one had the heart to point out she was yet again talking to a book.**  
**

"**No," said Harry at once. "We wanted to see you."**

"**We've missed you!" said Hermione tremulously.**

"**Missed me, have yeh?" snorted Hagrid. "Yeah. Righ'."**

"Just because they're not taking your class doesn't mean they don't like you," sighed Charlie. Sometimes it was hard to explain things to Hagrid and this sounded like one of those times.

**He stomped around, brewing up tea in his enormous copper kettle, muttering all the while. Finally he slammed down three bucket-sized mugs of mahogany-brown tea in front of them and a plate of his rock cakes. Harry was hungry enough even for Hagrid's cooking, and took one at once.**

"**Hagrid," said Hermione timidly, when he joined them at the table and started peeling his potatoes with a brutality that suggested that each tuber had done him a great personal wrong, "we really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures, you know." Hagrid gave another great snort. Harry rather thought some bogeys landed on the potatoes, and was inwardly thankful that they were not staying for dinner.**

"**We did!" said Hermione. "But none of us could fit it into our schedules!"**

"Well, that's true in a sense," said Bill slowly.

"If you count making your schedules so you can't fir Care of Magical Creatures into it," muttered Charlie. Hagrid sounded like an excellent teacher, sure he was a little eccentric, but then, that's who Hagrid was. Hagrid would be a much better professor than the current COMC in his opinion.

"**Yeah. Righ'," said Hagrid again.**

**There was a funny squelching sound and they all looked around: Hermione let out a tiny shriek, and Ron leapt out of his seat and hurried around the table away from the large barrel standing in the corner that they had only just noticed. It was full of what looked like foot-long maggots, slimy, white, and writhing.**

"**What are they, Hagrid?" asked Harry, trying to sound interested rather than revolted, but putting down his rock cake all the same.**

"**Jus' giant grubs," said Hagrid.**

"**And they grow into…?" said Ron, looking apprehensive.**

"**They won' grow inter nuthin'," said Hagrid. "I got 'em ter feed ter Aragog."**

Little Ron shivered as he remembered that awful chapter from the second book. "Why does he have to be mentioned again?" he whimpered.

**And without warning, he burst into tears.**

"**Hagrid!" cried Hermione, leaping up, hurrying around the table the long way to avoid the barrel of maggots, and putting an arm around his shaking shoulders. "What is it?"**

"**It's… him…" gulped Hagrid, his beetle-black eyes stream-ing as he mopped his face with his apron. "It's… Aragog… I think he's dyin'… He got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' better… I don' know what I'll do if he… if he… We've bin tergether so long…"**

"Hagrid has had Aragog since his third year at Hogwarts," said _Harry_. "His reaction made sense, though it was a bit disturbing."

**Hermione patted Hagrid's shoulder, looking at a complete loss for anything to say. Harry knew how she felt. He had known Hagrid to present a vicious baby dragon with a teddy bear, seen him croon over giant scorpions with suckers and stingers, attempt to reason with his brutal giant of a half-brother, but this was perhaps the most incomprehensible of all his monster fancies: the gigantic talking spider, Aragog, who dwelled deep in the Forbidden Forest and which he and Ron had only narrowly escaped four years previously.**

"Narrowly might be a bit of an understatement," muttered _Ron_. "We'd've been dead if it weren't for the car."**  
**

"**Is there — is there anything we can do?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron's frantic grimaces and head-shakings.**

"**I don' think there is, Hermione," choked Hagrid, attempting to stem the flood of his tears. "See, the rest o' the tribe… Aragog's family… they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill… bit restive…"**

"**Yeah, I think we saw a bit of that side of them," said Ron in an undertone.**

"… **I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid finished, **

"And you probably shouldn't go their either," advised Sirius.**  
**

**blowing his nose hard on his apron and looking up. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione… It means a lot."**

**After that, the atmosphere lightened considerably, for although neither Harry nor Ron had shown any inclination to go and feed giant grubs to a murderous, gargantuan spider, Hagrid seemed to take it for granted that they would have liked to have done and became his usual self once more.**

"**Ar, I always knew yeh'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter yer timetables," he said gruffly, pouring them more tea. "Even if yeh applied fer Time-Turners —"**

"Which is impossible regarding the fact that they destroyed them," said Bill. "How did you get back here if you didn't have time turners?"

"A time portal," answered _Hermione_. "That's how we could send the books and ourselves gradually. Come to think _Harry_, is it set for only four to come through this direction?"

Harry shrugged. "I think anyone who doesn't mean harm can travel back to here," he said. "It's still activated in the study."

"I hope no one else decides to investigate," muttered _Hermione_.

"Well, I can see someone like Bill or George coming back," said _Ron_. "We'll just have to wait and see what ends up happening."**  
**

Again, there were curious looks because just two specific names were mentioned. _Why would it be most likely for those two to come back and not the others? Hopefully this would be explained._

"**We couldn't have done," said Hermione. "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there last summer. It was in the Daily Prophet."**

"**Ar, well then," said Hagrid. "There's no way yeh could've done it… I'm sorry I've bin — yeh know — I've jus' bin worried about Aragog… an I did wonder whether, if Professor Grubbly-Plank had bin teachin' yeh —"**

**At which all three of them stated categorically and untruthfully that Professor Grubbly-Plank, who had substituted for Hagrid a few times, was a dreadful teacher, with the result that by the time Hagrid waved them off the premises at dusk, he looked quite cheerful.**

"Good, you're back on his good side," said Charlie in relief.

"**I'm starving," said Harry, once the door had closed behind them and they were hurrying through the dark and deserted grounds; he had abandoned the rock cake after an ominous cracking noise from one of his back teeth. **

"Did you break a tooth?" asked Sirius worriedly.

"No," Harry assured his godfather. "It was the rock cake."**  
**

"**And I've got that detention with Snape tonight, I haven't got much time for dinner."**

**As they came into the castle they spotted Cormac McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors; he ricocheted off the frame on the first attempt. Ron merely guffawed gloatingly and strode off into the Hall after him, but Harry caught Hermione's arm and held her back.**

"**What?" said Hermione defensively.**

"**If you ask me," said Harry quietly, "McLaggen looks like he was Confunded this morning. And he was standing right in front of where you were sitting."**

**Hermione blushed.**

"You didn't!" admonished Charlie in horror. "You never magically interfere with Quidditch! That's a foul!"

"Charlie, calm down, it wasn't like she did it during a game or anything," said Bill. Once Charlie started on a rant about Quidditch, it could go on for forever.

"**Oh, all right then, I did it," she whispered.**

"What?" asked _Ron_ in shock. "You Confounded him?"

"Yes," admitted a blushing _Hermione_.

_Ron_ took a deep breath to steady himself. This had happened several years ago and he shouldn't let it get to him. _Hermione_ had simply helped him, but it was rather disappointing knowing that he hadn't got on the team the second year completely on his own merits.

"_Ron_, even if you and McLaggon had tied, I would've picked you," assured _Harry_. "I hate that git."

"You can't let personal feelings get in the way of picking team members," said Charlie.

"Actually, it might be a good idea in some cases," said Sirius. "If two members have a rilvarly, it could damage the team internally."

"Bloody good thing I didn't have McLaggon as the main Keeper," said _Harry_. "The one game he had to sub was awful."

"Wait, McLaggon had to sub a game?" asked Percy. "What happened to _Ron_?"

"Bad encounter with a love potion," said _Harry_ quickly. There was no need to get into the poisoned mead at the moment.

"Why did you do it, _Hermione_?" asked _Ron_. "Did you not think I could get on the team on my own merits?"

"He said several horrible things about you and _Ginny_, _Ron._ I couldn't let him get away with it." said _Hermione_ quickly. "And I do believe, no, I know that you could've gotten on the team by your own merits. It was a personal score with McLaggen that I was settling."

**"But you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, he's got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didn't get in — you wouldn't have wanted someone like that on the team."**

"**No," said Harry. "No, I suppose that's true. But wasn't that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, you're a prefect, aren't you?"**

"**Oh, be quiet," she snapped, as he smirked.**

"**What are you two doing?" demanded Ron, reappearing in the doorway to the Great Hall and looking suspicious.**

"**Nothing," said Harry and Hermione together, and they hurried after Ron. The smell of roast beef made Harry's stomach ache with hunger, but they had barely taken three steps toward the Gryffindor table when Professor Slughorn appeared in front of them, blocking their path.**

"Not again," groaned little Ron. This man was really annoying.**  
**

"**Harry, Harry, just the man I was hoping to see!" he boomed genially, twiddling the ends of his walrus mustache and puffing out his enormous belly, "I was hoping to catch you before dinner! What do you say to a spot of supper tonight in my rooms instead? We're having a little party, just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and Zabini, the charming Melinda Bobbin — I don't know whether you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries — and, of course, I hope very much that Miss Granger will favor me by coming too."**

**Slughorn made Hermione a little bow as he finished speaking. It was as though Ron was not present; Slughorn did not so much as look at him.**

"**I can't come, Professor," said Harry at once. "I've got a detention with Professor Snape."**

"I never thought I'd say that detention with Snape is a good thing, but in this case, it is," said Sirius. "You manged to get out of yet another party."

"**Oh dear!" said Slughorn, his face falling comically. "Dear, dear, I was counting on you, Harry!**

**Well, now, I'll just have to have a word with Severus and explain the situation. I'm sure I'll be able to persuade him to postpone your detention. Yes, I'll see you both later!" He bustled away out of the Hall.**

"That won't happen in a million years," said Tonks. "Does he honestly think he can persuade Snape to change a detention? It was probably hard enough for Dumbledore to make him change the date."

**"He's got no chance of persuading Snape," said Harry, the moment Slughorn was out of earshot. "This detention's already been postponed once; Snape did it for Dumbledore, but he won't do it for anyone else."**

"**Oh, I wish you could come, I don't want to go on my own!" said Hermione anxiously; Harry knew that she was thinking about McLaggen.**

"**I doubt you'll be alone, Ginny'll probably be invited," snapped Ron, who did not seem to have taken kindly to being ignored by Slughorn.**

"It was bloody annoying," _Ron_ muttered. "It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if he invited them when I wasn't around, but doing it in front of me ..."

**After dinner they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was very crowded, as most people had finished dinner by now, but they managed to find a free table and sat down; Ron, who had been in a bad mood ever since the encounter with Slughorn, folded his arms and frowned at the ceiling. Hermione reached out for a copy of the Evening Prophet, which somebody had left abandoned on a chair.**

"**Anything new?" said Harry.**

"**Not really…" Hermione had opened the newspaper and was scanning the inside pages. "Oh, look, your dad's in here, Ron — he's all right!" she added quickly, for Ron had looked around in alarm.**

"After the attack I was always on guard," Ron said quietly. "I couldn't bear it if anything else were to happen to you." He was a little pale though as there had been complications because not all of the venem had been removed. There wasn't anything the Healers could do at the moment, but thankfully the poison wasn't spreading very quickly. The Healers had told Arthur that he probably had five to ten more years at the rate of the spread.

**"It just says he's been to visit the Malfoys' house. 'This second search of the Death Eaters residence does not seem to have yielded any results. Arthur Weasley of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects said that his team had been acting upon a confidential tip-off.'"**

"**Yeah, mine!" said Harry. "I told him at Kings Cross about Malfoy and that thing he was trying to get Borgin to fix! Well, if it's not at their house, he must have brought whatever it is to Hogwarts with him —"**

"**But how can he have done, Harry?" said Hermione, putting down the newspaper with a surprised look. "We were all searched when we arrived, weren't we?"**

"**Were you?" said Harry, taken aback. "I wasn't!"**

"**Oh no, of course you weren't, I forgot you were late. Well, Filch ran over all of us with Secrecy Sensors when we got into the entrance hall. Any Dark object would have been found, I know for a fact Crabbe had a shrunken head confiscated. So you see, Malfoy can't have brought in anything dangerous!"**

"Unless it was transfigured," said Bill. "Could that work?"

"It depends on the item," said Dumbledore. "Most Dark objects cannot be transfigured without loosing their powers, but it is a plausible theory."

"Or, what if the item in question is already at Hogwarts," suggested Charlie. "Who knows how many Dark objects are in the Room of Requirements."

"That too is possible,"said Dumbldore.

"It better not be true," muttered Sirius.

**Momentarily stymied, Harry watched Ginny Weasley playing with Arnold the Pygmy Puff for a while before seeing a way around this objection.**

"**Someone's sent it to him by owl, then," he said. "His mother or someone."**

**"All the owls are being checked too," said Hermione. "Filch told us so when he was jabbing those Secrecy Sensors everywhere he could reach."**

"I do not want to picture that," said Bill slowly with a slight shudder.**  
**

**Really stumped this time, Harry found nothing else to say. There did not seem to be any way Malfoy could have brought a dangerous or Dark object into the school. He looked hopefully at Ron, who was sitting with his arms folded, staring over at Lavender Brown.**

_Ron_ blushed. He absolutely hated any mention of his relationship with Lavender, and the truly embarrassing stuff hadn't even started yet.**  
**

"**Can you think of any way Malfoy —?"**

"**Oh, drop it, Harry," said Ron.**

"**Listen, it's not my fault Slughorn invited Hermione and me to his stupid party, neither of us wanted to go, you know!" said Harry, firing up.**

"**Well, as I'm not invited to any parties," said Ron, getting to his feet again, "I think I'll go to bed."**

**He stomped off toward the door to the boys' dormitories, leaving Harry and Hermione staring after him.**

"**Harry?" said the new Chaser, Demelza Robins, appearing suddenly at his shoulder. "I've got a message for you."**

"**From Professor Slughorn?" asked Harry, sitting up hopefully.**

"You'd rather go to Slughorn's party than have detention with Snape?" asked Remus in surprise. Personally, he would've picked the detention.

"I'd rather spend my time with people who like me than someone who despises me," _Harry_ said in defense.**  
**

"**No… from Professor Snape," said Demelza. Harry's heart sank. "He says you're to come to his office at half past eight tonight to do your detention— er— no matter how many party invitations you've received. And he wanted you to know you'll be sorting out rotten flobberworms from good ones, to use in Potions and — and he says there's no need to bring protective gloves."**

"So he just wants to make it as uncomfortable for you as possible," sighed Sirius. "Figures."

"**Right," said Harry grimly. "Thanks a lot, Demelza.**

"And that's the end of this chapter," announced Fred. "I think you're next, _Hermione_."**  
**

"_Ron_, can you take Rose while I read?" asked _Hermione_. "She's still asleep, but I'm not certain how much longer she'll stay that way. I do know I'll have to feed her once she wakes up."

"Sure," said _Ron_ and he carefully took his daughter while _Hermione_ took the book.

* * *

_**Anonymous: Thanks for the review and for pointing that out my little errors. I just got a bit mixed up. It's fixed now. Yeah, it will be hard for Charlie in a bit.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: **__**Thanks for the review. **_I'm glad you think I'm a frequent updater. I update as quickly as I can, though it's not as fast as I'd like to be updating. Ron does have some nice predictions.

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. Anything that has to do with family trees is bound to be complicated.**_

_**Furionknight: Thanks for the review.**_


	13. Silver and Opals

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**Sorry this has taken some time. I got most of it written, then got an excellent idea for Molly II centered story, which I'm currently writing. I won't be publishing it for some time because I need to get Healing the Broken Hearts finished first. I know where I want to end the story, but it still will be several more chapters, the next one of which is nearly finished.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. **_

"Not this chapter," moaned _Hermione_ when she read the title.

"Why, what happens?" asked Molly. _Hermione_ took a deep breath and read it.**  
**

**Silver and Opals**

"Oh, that one," said _Harry_ quietly. Up until this point, besides the incident on the train and his lesson with Dumbledore, hardly anything out of the ordinary had happened. But starting this day, hardly anything worked out properly.**  
**

"I take it this is a bad chapter then," said Remus. _Harry_ grimaced and nodded.

**Where was Dumbledore, and what was he doing?**

"How am I supposed to know?" asked Fred with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Does the phrase 'rhetorical question' bring anything to mind?" said little Hermione impatiently.**  
**

"No," Fred answered with a shake of his head.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily. "I would assume I'm doing some sort of work for the Order," he said in answer to the question. "That's the only thing that would take me away from Hogwarts at this moment."

**Harry caught sight of the headmaster only twice over the next few weeks. He rarely appeared at meals anymore, and Harry was sure Hermione was right in thinking that he was leaving the school for days at a time. Had Dumbledore forgotten the lessons he was supposed to be giving Harry? Dumbledore had said that the lessons were leading to something to do with the prophecy; Harry had felt bolstered, comforted, and now he felt slightly abandoned.**

Little Harry shifted slightly, causing Sirius to look gently at him. Little Harry was desperately hoping that this wouldn't happen to him, that he never would be abandoned again.

"I'm never going to leave you, Harry," Sirius whispered.**  
**

**Halfway through October came their first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. Harry had wondered whether these trips would still be allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures around the school, but was pleased to know that they were going ahead; it was always good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours.**

"Or more," said Sirius.

"At least _Harry_ is merely sneaking around the castle at odd hours, not sneaking around Hogsmeade and the forest," said Remus.**  
**

"You did it too," Sirius pointed out.

**Harry woke early on the morning of the trip, which was proving stormy, and whiled away the time until breakfast by reading his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He did not usually lie in bed reading his textbooks; that sort of behavior, as Ron rightly said, was indecent in anybody except Hermione, who was simply weird that way. **

Little Hermione huffed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with reading in bed. In fact, it was one of the most relaxing ways to get to sleep and to wake up.**  
**

**Harry felt, however, that the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making hardly qualified as a textbook. The more Harry pored over the book, the more he realized how much was in there, not only the handy hints and shortcuts on potions that was earning him such a glowing reputation with Slughorn, but also the imaginative little jinxes and hexes scribbled in the margins, which Harry was sure, judging by the crossings-out and revisions, that the Prince had invented himself.**

"Just be careful when trying out new spells," advised Sirius. "You don't want to injure someone, other than Malfoy or Snape that is."**  
**

**Harry had already attempted a few of the Prince's self-invented spells. There had been a hex that caused toenails to grow alarmingly fast (he had tried this on Crabbe in the corridor, with very entertaining results); a jinx that glued the tongue to the roof of the mouth (which he had twice used, to general applause, on an unsuspecting Argus Filch); **

"Can you get that to be permanent?" wondered an amused Bill.

"If you did, he wouldn't be able to eat," said Percy sternly. "Now Filch certainly isn't a nice guy, but he shouldn't be starved."**  
**

"Harry, I'm certain you are aware that hexing of staff is not permissible except in extreme cases," said Dumbledore

"Would Umbridge be an extreme case?" a rather devious Charlie asked.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore answered, "but hopefully we can avoid that incident this time around." On the other hand, Dumbledore's eyes said that he would gladly see Umbridge with her tongue permanently stuck to the roof of her mouth.

Remus shook his head slowly. Dumbledore knew when someone could go too far and it appeared that sticking Filch's tongue to the roof of his mouth was going too far, but sticking Umbridge's tongue to the roof of her mouth was fine. Granted, Filch had never physically harmed anyone, merely threatened to do so, while Umbridge, bloody toad, had physically injured and permanently scared people, including _Harry_. Remus would gladly see her get a taste of her own medicine.

**and, perhaps most useful of all, _Muffliato_, a spell that filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, so that lengthy conversations could be held in class without being overheard. **

"That one sounds really helpful," said Remus with a smile. He remembered using that spell several times. Well, technically it had been James who had cast it, but it was very help to plan pranks.

"It was essential at times," said _Harry_. _Muffliato_ worked better than a regular silencing spell, so when one had to secretly plan things, it was extremely helpful.**  
**

"That thing saved our life," muttered _Ron_, who knew that they had had several close calls during their 'camping trip' and that it was thanks to _Muffliato_ and several other warding spells that they were still alive.

"What on earth did you get yourselves into that a silencing spell saved your lives?" wondered Sirius as he placed his head in his hands.

"Next book," answered _Harry_ very quickly. He didn't want to start explaining everything yet.

Sirius eyed his godson, but thankfully didn't say anything, though he muttered, "That phrase will be the death of me."

**The only person who did not find these charms amusing was Hermione, who maintained a rigidly disapproving expression throughout and refused to talk at all if Harry had used the _Muffliato_ spell on anyone in the vicinity.**

**Sitting up in bed, Harry turned the book sideways so as to examine more closely the scribbled instructions for a spell that seemed to have caused the Prince some trouble. There were many crossings-out and alterations, but finally, crammed into a corner of the page, the scribble:**

**_Levicorpus_ (nvbl)**

"Of all the spells," muttered Sirius. He clearly remembered using that one on various people, mainly Snape, which he was ashamed of. Besides that, it was quite a fun spell to use, especially for wake-up calls.**  
**

"Do you know that one?" asked little Harry.

Sirius nodded. "It was one that was quite popular during my school days. Prank hexes come and go, and that was the one a lot of people knew back in the '70s."

"So I guess the Half-Blood Prince went to Hogwarts in the 1970s," said little Hermione. "He must've made it since it's written in his book and if you knew about it he had to invent it during that time frame."

"Or a little before," said Bill. "It might've taken awhile for it to catch on. Did you know anything about this spell Mum and Dad?"

Arthur shook his head. "I suppose it was invented after we left," he said. "You mother and I were at Hogwarts in the 1960s."

"So then, this Prince fellow went to school in the late 1960s or early 1970s," deduced Bill. He turned and addressed Dumbledore. "Do you know of any Prince's at Hogwarts during that time frame?"

"I'm afraid I do not," said Dumbledore. In one sense, that was true. There hadn't been anyone with the surname of Prince, but as Severus liked to be associated with the wizarding side of his life, there technically had been a Prince there, just under the disguise of a Snape."

**While the wind and sleet pounded relentlessly on the windows, and Neville snored loudly, Harry stared at the letters in brackets. Nvbl… that had to mean "nonverbal." Harry rather doubted he would be able to bring off this particular spell; he was still having difficulty with nonverbal spells, something Snape had been quick to comment on in every D.A.D.A. class. On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far.**

_Harry_ couldn't help but snort. Oh, he'd love to see Snape's face if he told him that.

"What's so amusing?" wondered Remus.

"You'll find out," _Harry_ assured as he regained his composure.**  
**

**Pointing his wand at nothing in particular, he gave it an upward flick and said _Levicorpus_! inside his head.**

"Why the bloody hell did you have to do that?" muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"What 'appened?" asked Fleur.

"Something that you should hope never happens to you," said _Ron_. It certainly had not been a pleasant way to wake up.

"**Aaaaaaaargh!"**

"What happened?" asked Molly quickly.

"Relax, Mum, nothing dangerous," said _Ron_. He turned to mock glare at _Harry_, "But it was downright annoying."**  
**

"It did wake you up," _Harry_ pointed out. "And that is considered to be nigh on impossible at points."

_Ron_ said nothing, but was trying to decide if he should wake _Harry_ in that method at some point.

**There was a flash of light and the room was full of voices: Everyone had woken up as Ron had let out a yell. **

"What happened, _Ron_?" asked Molly, forgetting that her son had already assured her that nothing dangerous happened.

"You'll find out in the next few sentences," assured _Ron_.**  
**

**Harry sent Advanced Potion-Making flying in panic; Ron was dangling upside down in midair as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle.**

"What?" asked little Ron amidst the ensuing laughter. Now that Molly was certain there wasn't any danger, she breathed a sigh of relief, but soon found the amusing side of the situation and her lips turned upward in a slight smile. Everyone was finding book Ron's current predicament to be interesting to say the least. Even Dumbledore eyes were twinkling merrily, though he had already known what the spell did.**  
**

"**Sorry!" yelled Harry, as Dean and Seamus roared with laughter, and Neville picked himself up from the floor, having fallen out of bed. "Hang on — I'll let you down —"**

**He groped for the potion book and riffled through it in a panic, trying to find the right page; at last he located it and deciphered the cramped word underneath the spell: Praying that this was the counter-jinx,**

"You didn't know the bloody counter-jinx!" shouted _Ron_ in horror. "What if it had done something worse?"

"Well it didn't," said _Harry_, "and we did have some fun."

"If you call that fun," muttered _Ron_, but now that he looked back on the incident, it was quite amusing.**  
**

** Harry thought _Liberacorpus_! with all his might. There was another flash of light, and Ron fell in a heap onto his mattress.**

"And it hurt," _Ron_ added.**  
**

"At least you landed on the mattress," _Harry_ retorted with a grin.

_Ron_ winced at the thought of landing on the wooden floor. "Yeah, that was a good thing," he said after a moment.

"**Sorry," repeated Harry weakly, while Dean and Seamus continued to roar with laughter.**

"**Tomorrow," said Ron in a muffled voice, "I'd rather you set the alarm clock."**

"That would make a good alarm clock," said _Hermione _with a rather thoughtful expression on her face.

"Don't you dare!" cried _Ron_, but he was laughing.

"Next time you sleep late, I'll do it," said _Hermione_ firmly.

"_Hermione_!"**  
**

**By the time they had got dressed, padding themselves out with several of Mrs. Weasleys hand-knitted sweaters and carrying cloaks, scarves, and gloves, Ron's shock had subsided and he had decided that Harry's new spell was highly amusing; so amusing, in fact, that he lost no time in regaling Hermione with the story as they sat down for breakfast.**

"At least I know the true story now," _Hermione_ muttered.**  
**

"I didn't distort it that much!" protested _Ron_.

"I would assume that flying around, acting like a bird while in the air and singing 'I Believe I Can Fly' is a great exaggeration from hanging upside-down by your ankle," _Hermione_ retorted.

"Oh, yeah, I guess so," said a rather bashful _Ron_. "But you've got to admit, my view of events was quite entertaining in itself."

"Boys," muttered _Hermione_. "What am I going to do with you?"

"… **and then there was another flash, of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grinned, helping himself to sausages.**

**Hermione had not cracked a smile during this anecdote, and now turned an expression of wintry disapproval upon Harry.**

"Why me?" asked little Harry somewhat nervously.

"It was your Potion's book," _Ginny_ explained.**  
**

"**Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?" she asked.**

**Harry frowned at her.**

"**Always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"**

"No, that's _Harry_," said Fred.**  
**

"I'm not that bad," muttered _Harry_.

"I hate to break it to you, but Fred's right," said _Ginny_. "You really were quite pessimistic, still are, but not nearly as bad."

"**Was it?"**

"**Well… yeah, it was, but so what?"**

"**So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation and see what would happen?"**

"Gryffindor," muttered Tonks.

"Oi!" cried Charlie.**  
**

"**Why does it matter if it's handwritten?" said Harry, preferring not to answer the rest of the question.**

"**Because it's probably not Ministry of Magic approved," said Hermione. "And also," she added, as Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, "because I'm starting to think this Prince character was a bit dodgy."**

"Depends on your definition of dodgy," muttered _Ginny_.**  
**

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius slowly.

"The Prince is a subjective character, rather than on objective character," explained _Hermione_. "You'll understand what we mean by the end of the book."

**Both Harry and Ron shouted her down at once.**

**"It was a laugh!" said Ron, upending a ketchup bottle over his sausages. "Just a laugh, Hermione, that's all!"**

"**Dangling people upside down by the ankle?" said Hermione. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"**

"Pranksters," answered Remus. He didn't know the exact origin of the spell, but it had to be a prankster.**  
**

"**Fred and George," said Ron, shrugging, "it's their kind of thing. And, er —"**

"**My dad," said Harry. He had only just remembered.**

"Remembered what?" asked Neville, but Sirius and Remus exchanged a quick glance.**  
**

"**What?" said Ron and Hermione together.**

**"My dad used this spell," said Harry. "I — Lupin told me."**

**This last part was not true; in fact, Harry had seen his father use the spell on Snape, but he had never told Ron and Hermione about that particular excursion into the Pensieve.**

"And I'm sorry that we did find out," said _Ron_. "I knew that you would have wanted to keep it private since it was new news to me."**  
**

** Now, however, a wonderful possibility occurred to him. Could the Half-Blood Prince possibly be —?**

"No, _Harry_," said Remus quickly. "Your father was a Pure-blood, but I do know he would love to have invented some of those spells."**  
**

Little Harry looked down, every so slightly disappointed. It would have been awesome to find out that the Half-Blood Prince was his father, but it wasn't.

"**Maybe your dad did use it, Harry," said Hermione, "but he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it, in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless."**

**Harry stared at her. With a sinking feeling, he too remembered the behavior of the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup. Ron came to his aid.**

"**That was different," he said robustly. "They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione," he added, pointing a sausage at her sternly, "because he's better than you at Potions —"**

"It wasn't just that," muttered _Hermione_. "I just wanted you to be safe and I thought that having a supposedly dangerous book wasn't being safe."**  
**

"**It's got nothing to do with that!" said Hermione, her cheeks reddening. "I just think it's very irresponsible to start performing spells when you don't even know what they're for, and stop talking about 'the Prince' as if it's his title, I bet it's just a stupid nickname, and it doesn't seem as though he was a very nice person to me!"**

"You certainly got that right," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"Half-blood, not nice, went to Hogwarts in the 1960s or '70s," mused Bill. "Is that everything?"

"Either royalty, which I doubt, or is related to the Prince family, which will have been carried on by the female line, as there aren't any Princes currently in the wizarding world," said Percy.

"Why is it that everyone figures stuff out earlier than we did?" wondered _Harry_. Bill and Percy had nearly enough information to figure out the identity of the Half-blood Prince before it was revealed in the book. He hoped that if they did figure it out, they wouldn't announce it out loud. It would be bad enough keeping Sirius and probably Remus from killing Snape at the end, but if Snape's identity was revealed any sooner, _Harry_ knew that the sitting room would most likely be a very dangerous place.

"They have the books," said _Hermione_ simply.

"Lucky them," _Harry_ muttered. "We spend forever trying to place the puzzle pieces, yet they're able to place them almost instantly."

"**I don't see where you get that from," said Harry heatedly. "If he'd been a budding Death Eater he wouldn't have been boasting about being 'half-blood,' would he?"**

"No, unless he wanted to be known as insane, which then would make complete sense as all the Death Eaters are insane," answered Sirius.

"You do know that you just contradicted yourself," Remus pointed out.**  
**

**Even as he said it, Harry remembered that his father had been pure-blood, but he pushed the thought out of his mind; he would worry about that later.**

"**The Death Eaters can't all be pure-blood, there aren't enough pure-blood wizards left," said Hermione stubbornly. "I expect most of them are half-bloods pretending to be pure.**

"Voldemort for one," Bill pointed out.**  
**

** It's only Muggle-borns they hate, they'd be quite happy to let you and Ron join up."**

"As if," snorted little Ron.**  
**

"We're one of the biggest, if not _the_ biggest family of blood traitors," said Bill. "That's equal or worse to Muggle-borns in Voldemort's mind."

"**There is no way they'd let me be a Death Eater!" said Ron indignantly, a bit of sausage flying off the fork he was now brandishing at Hermione and hitting Ernie Macmillan on the head. "My whole family are blood traitors! That's as bad as Muggle-borns to Death Eaters!"**

"Wow, _Ron_, you are really like Bill," said Tonks.**  
**

_Ron_ grinned. He no longer minded being compared to his siblings, especially in this sense. He had always looked up to Bill as a little kid and still did.

"**And they'd love to have me," said Harry sarcastically. "We'd be best pals if they didn't keep trying to do me in."**

**This made Ron laugh; even Hermione gave a grudging smile, and a distraction arrived in the shape of Ginny.**

"Oh goodie, now I'm a distraction," muttered _Ginny_, but it was obvious she was hiding her grin.**  
**

"**Hey, Harry, I'm supposed to give you this."**

**It was a scroll of parchment with Harry's name written upon it in familiar thin, slanting writing.**

"So, sixth year it's familiar and first year it's strange," said Percy.

"I'd gotten a lot of notes from Dumbledore over my Hogwarts years," said _Harry_. "Naturally it would become familiar."**  
**

"**Thanks, Ginny… It's Dumbledore's next lesson!" Harry told Ron and Hermione, pulling open the parchment and quickly reading its contents.**

"**Monday evening!" He felt suddenly light and happy. "Want to join us in Hogsmeade, Ginny?" he asked.**

"Was that a date?" asked Bill, his tone a bit sharper than he had meant it to be.

"No," answered _Harry_. "At this point I hadn't realized I loved her."

"So when did you?" asked Bill while little Ginny and little Harry turned red.

"You'll see, but it was pretty neat," said _Ginny_ with a wide grin.**  
**

"That's when you figured it out," _Harry_ retorted. "I figured it out a bit earlier, when I started to get really angry at Dean for basically nothing."

"And yet you still let him on the team," murmured _Ginny_ with a shake of her head.

"Wait, what?" asked Charlie. "But he's not on the Quidditch team, unless he's a reserve player … _Ginny_, did you get injured?"

"No, I wasn't injured," answered _Ginny_. "And yes, Dean was a reserve Chaser."

"**I'm going with Dean — might see you there," she replied, waving at them as she left.**

**Filch was standing at the oak front doors as usual, checking off the names of people who had permission to go into Hogsmeade. The process took even longer than normal as Filch was triple-checking everybody with his Secrecy Sensor.**

"Smuggling Dark stuff out isn't important," said Luna. "What matters is what's brought in."**  
**

**"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" demanded Ron, eyeing the long thin Secrecy Sensor with apprehension. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?"**

"Ron, you're like me," commented Luna. Little Ron was about to retorted that actually Luna was like him, but thought the better of it.**  
**

"You really should know to never cheek Filch," said Charlie. "You're immediately on his bad side."

"I was already permanently on it," said Ron, "thanks to my brothers." He sent a glare in Fred and George's direction.

"We got Ickle Ronnikens-"

"On Filch's bad side-"

"Before he got-"

"To Hogwarts!"**  
**

"Yes, they did," said Ron with a slight laugh. "Filch assumed I'd be just like the twins and didn't even give me a chance."

"I doubt if he gives anyone chances," said Sirius. "He certainly didn't give us one."

"I think pranking him the moment you arrived at Hogwarts instantly destroyed any chance leniency from Filch," scolded Remus.

"Like I cared," muttered Sirius.

**His cheek earned him a few extra jabs with the Sensor, and he was still wincing as they stepped out into the wind and sleet.**

**The walk into Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. Harry wrapped his scarf over his lower face; the exposed part soon felt both raw and numb. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. More than once Harry wondered whether they might not have had a better time in the warm common room, and when they finally reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko's Joke Shop had been boarded up,**

Bill, Charlie, Tonks, and the twins eyes all opened wide with horror.

"How can Zonko's go out of business?" asked Charlie.

"Lack of customers," said _Harry_ simply. "People were scared to go out shopping and when they did, it was normally to Diagon Alley since that was deemed safer."

"At least there was still a joke-shop there," said Tonks. "Please tell me that WWW doesn't go out of business."

"It doesn't," assured _Ron_. "In fact, it's one of the biggest joke-shop business there is. "There's two stores in the United Kingdom and one in Paris. Currently George is working on setting up another shop somewhere along the East coast in the United States, Salem area I think."

"Wow," said Fred in awe. "See Mum, it's a big business!"**  
**

"That may be," said Molly, "but there is no guarantee that it will work."

"Molly, remember, you said that you'd leave them alone with this business," said Arthur calmly. "I'm certain the twins will be able to do it this time, like they did it last time."

Fleur shook her head at the look on Bill's face. He could be very mature one moment and a child the next. How she was to end up marrying this man was beyond her, but she did have to admit that he was good looking.

** Harry took it as confirmation that this trip was not destined to be fun. Ron pointed, with a thickly gloved hand, toward Honeydukes,**

Remus let out a sigh and a dreamy look entered his eyes.**  
**

** which was mercifully open, and Harry and Hermione staggered in his wake into the crowded shop.**

"**Thank God," shivered Ron as they were enveloped by warm, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."**

"**Harry, m'boy!" said a booming voice from behind them.**

"Or not," said Remus, wincing slightly. Leave it to Slughorn to ruin the Trio's afternoon.**  
**

"**Oh no," muttered Harry. The three of them turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous furry hat and an overcoat with matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystalized pineapple, and occupying at least a quarter of the shop.**

"He's not that big, is he?" asked little Ginny.

"Didn't he always joke that his stomach turned the corner before his feet?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, yes he did," confirmed Arthur. "Thankfully that was an exaggeration, but not by much."**  
**

Little Hermione looked repulsed at the description of Slughorn. "No one should be that huge!"

"Was he as big as Uncle Vernon?" asked little Harry in a small voice.

_Harry_ shook his head. "No, he was a bit smaller, but also slightly taller, which I assume helped in making him appear smaller. Slughorn was a great guy though, once you got past the Slug Club."

"**Harry, that's three of my little suppers you've missed now!" said Slughorn, poking him genially in the chest. **"**It won't do, m'boy, I'm determined to have you!**

"And I'm just as determined to miss them," muttered _Harry_.**  
**

** Miss Granger loves them, don't you?"**

"**Yes," said Hermione helplessly, "they're really —"**

"**So why don't you come along, Harry?" demanded Slughorn.**

"**Well, I've had Quidditch practice, Professor," said Harry, who had indeed been scheduling practices every time Slughorn had sent him a little, violet ribbon-adorned invitation. This strategy meant that Ron was not left out, and they usually had a laugh with Ginny, imagining Hermione shut up with McLaggen and Zabini.**

_Hermione_ raised her eyebrows and turned to glare at _Harry_.**  
**

"Sorry," _Harry_ apologized, "but you've got to admit, it was fun thinking about what you had to do in there."

That simply made _Hermione_ glare all the more at Harry, who cringed. Suddenly, _Hermione_ burst out laughing. "_Harry_, it's fine," she said in assurance. "And yes, I do know that it would be amusing to imagine what was going on in there, and let me tell you, it wasn't very fun."

"**Well, I certainly expect you to win your first match after all the hard work!" said Slughorn. "But a little recreation never hurt any body. Now, how about Monday night, you can't possibly want to practice in this weather…"**

"Considering I practiced under Oliver Wood, yes I would want to practice if it meant avoiding Slughorn," muttered _Harry_.

"Not to mention that I'd be extremely relieved too," _Ginny_ added.**  
**

"Just be careful when scheduling practice to avoid Slughorn," begged Sirius. "I wouldn't want you to get sick over it."

"Don't worry, that didn't happen," said _Harry_.

"**I can't, Professor, I've got — er — an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening."**

"Lucky that note came," said Remus.**  
**

"**Unlucky again!" cried Slughorn dramatically. "Ah, well… you can't evade me forever, Harry!"**

"Please tell me you never go to one," begged Sirius.

"There was one that I couldn't avoid," said _Harry_, remembering the Christmas party. It hadn't been overly bad, but then, it hadn't been very much fun either, especially considering what happened after it.**  
**

**And with a regal wave, he waddled out of the shop, taking as little notice of Ron as though he had been a display of Cockroach Clusters.**

Little Ron muttered something under his breath about no one ever noticing him.**  
**

"Oh, Ron, of course people notice you," said Molly gently.

"Really?" asked little Ron as he looked up at his mother.

"Yes," Molly assured. "You're great releasing tension, helping me with Ginny and around the house, and your father has told that other than Percy, you're the best behaved when he's taken you with him to the office and that's simply because Percy was older the first time he wen to the office."

Little Ron's face was now in a grin. He actually was recognized for being himself, not simply the youngest Weasley boy.

_Hermione_ looked over at _Ron_ and saw a look which hadn't been there before. She knew that her husband had long ago gotten over his insecurities, but that he still enjoyed recognition for things he had done, rather than being a member of the Weasley family.

"**I can't believe you've wriggled out of another one," said Hermione, shaking her head. "They're not that bad, you know… They're even quite fun sometimes…" But then she caught sight of Ron's expression. "Oh, look — they've got deluxe sugar quills — those would last hours!"**

"Changing topics isn't your strength," said _Ron_ slowly.**  
**

"At least I've gotten better at it," said _Hermione_, "haven't I Rosie?"

Nearly everyone laughed at _Hermione's_ blunt change of topic to Rose.

"I beg to differ," said _Ginny_. "That was a little smoother, but not overly subtle."

"I try," muttered _Hermione_, but she quickly continued to read.

**Glad that Hermione had changed the subject, Harry showed much more interest in the new extra-large sugar quills than he would normally have done, but Ron continued to look moody and merely shrugged when Hermione asked him where he wanted to go next.**

"**Let's go to the Three Broomsticks," said Harry. "It'll be warm."**

**They bundled their scarves back over their faces and left the sweetshop. The bitter wind was like knives on their faces after the sugary warmth of Honeydukes. The street was not very busy; nobody was lingering to chat, just hurrying toward their destinations. The exceptions were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside the Three Broomsticks. One was very tall and thin; squinting through his rain-washed glasses Harry recognized the barman who worked in the other Hogsmeade pub, the Hog's Head.**

**As Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms. They were barely feet from him when Harry realized who the man was.**

"**Mundungus!"**

"What's your brother doing with Dung?" asked Sirius in surprise. "He detested the man in the Order."

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "I do not know what my brother gets up to," he said, "but there has to be a big reason for him to associate with Dung more than he has to."**  
**

**The squat, bandy-legged man with long, straggly, ginger hair jumped and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst open, releasing what looked like the entire contents of a junk shop window.**

"Which is probably stolen," muttered Molly.**  
**

"**Oh, 'ello, 'Arry," said Mundungus Fletcher, with a most unconvincing stab at airiness. "Well, don't let me keep ya."**

**And he began scrabbling on the ground to retrieve the contents of his suitcase with every appearance of a man eager to be gone.**

"**Are you selling this stuff?" asked Harry, watching Mundungus grab an assortment of grubby-looking objects from the ground.**

Molly muttered something about the evils of stealing under her breath.**  
**

"**Oh, well, gotta scrape a living," said Mundungus. "Gimme that!"**

**Ron had stooped down and picked up something silver.**

"**Hang on," Ron said slowly. "This looks familiar —"**

"**Thank you!" said Mundungus, snatching the goblet out of Ron's hand and stuffing it back into the case. "Well, I'll see you all — OUCH!"**

"What did you do, _Harry_?" sighed _Ginny_.**  
**

"How'd you know it was me?" _Harry_ asked.

"You're the only person there who'd do such a thing," _Ginny_ responded.

"I wouldn't put it past Aberforth," said Dumbledore. "He told me several times that there was nothing more he'd like to do that throttle Dung."

"I doubt even Aberforth would stoop to something like that in public," said Arthur, "but I understand why he'd wish to do something like that."

**Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.**

"_Harry_! What are you doing?" asked Sirius.**  
**

"**Harry!" squealed Hermione.**

"**You took that from Sirius's house," said Harry, who was almost nose to nose with Mundungus and was breathing in an unpleasant smell of old tobacco and spirits. **

"Oh," said Sirius in understanding. Now it made sense why _Harry_ would attack Dung, but personally he didn't care about stolen items. All they did was remind him of his previous life.**  
**

"**That had the Black family crest on it."**

"**I — no — what —?" spluttered Mundungus, who was slowly turning purple.**

"Release him, _Harry_!" cried Tonks. "He's annoying, but you don't want him dead."**  
**

"I didn't want him dead either, but I was extremely angry," mumbled _Harry_.

"**What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?" snarled Harry.**

"**I — no —"**

"**Give it to me!"**

"**Harry, you mustn't!" shrieked Hermione, as Mundungus started to turn blue.**

**There was a bang, and Harry felt his hands fly off Mundungus' throat.**

"Thank you to whoever did that," said Arthur. He really didn't like what Mundungus was like in these books and he had stolen, but he still shouldn't be choked."

** Gasping and spluttering, Mundungus seized his fallen case, then — CRACK — he Disapparated.**

**Harry swore at the top of his voice, spinning on the spot to see where Mundungus had gone.**

"**COME BACK, YOU THIEVING —!"**

"**There's no point, Harry." Tonks had appeared out of nowhere, her mousy hair wet with sleet.**

"She must've been the one who saved you from choking Dung," murmured Sirius. "Thanks for that, Tonksie."

"Don't call me that," muttered Tonks angrily.

"Why'd you call her that?" wondered _Ron_. He hadn't heard that name for her yet."**  
**

"The time I babysat her, we both were trying to come up with the worst nicknames for each other," Sirius explained.

"Is that where 'Siri' came from?" _Hermione_ asked.

"Yes," answered Tonks before Sirius could stop her.

"So you wanna declare war, Tonksie?" asked Sirius in a jesting manner.

"Certainly, Siri," responded Tonks. "Would you like to join, Remy?"

"No thank you," answered Remus quietly. He had completely forgotten this incident. It was always enjoyable to try and come up with bad nicknames for people. You could only do it when you were truly friends with someone so they wouldn't become offended.

_Harry_ grinned. This was a completely different side of his godfather and Remus than he had seen during the years they were in his life. Yes, he had seen moment when they were joking around, but they had been few and far between. Now though, he was seeing them trying to have fun, though also embarrass each other. He couldn't wait to see what the reaction would be with Remus and Tonks' matrimonial state was announced, though he suspected that Sirius might know something.

"**Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There's no point yelling."**

"**He's nicked Sirius's stuff! Nicked it!"**

"Calm down," said Neville. "It's just stuff."**  
**

"**Yes, but still," said Tonks, who seemed perfectly untroubled by this piece of information. **

Tonks furrowed her eyebrows. While she didn't care about the Black family artifacts being removed, surely she'd care about the fact that Sirius' house had been robbed. The only reason she could think of was that she was preoccupied with something else, but what could it be?**  
**

"**You should get out of the cold."**

**She watched them go through the door of the Three Broom-sticks. The moment he was inside, Harry burst out, "He was nicking Sirius's stuff!"**

"I don't care," said Sirius. "It just reminds me of my 'family' and the less memories of them, the better."**  
**

"Same here," little Harry announced in a small voice, causing Remus and Sirius to quickly look at him in concern, but he shook his head, not wanting to talk about it at the moment.

"**I know, Harry, but please don't shout, people are staring," whispered Hermione. "Go and sit down, I'll get you a drink."**

**Harry was still fuming when Hermione returned to their table a few minutes later holding three bottles of butterbeer.**

"**Can't the Order control Mundungus?" Harry demanded of the other two in a furious whisper. "Can't they at least stop him stealing everything that's not fixed down when he's at headquarters?"**

"**Shh!" said Hermione desperately, looking around to make sure nobody was listening; there were a couple of warlocks sitting close by who were staring at Harry with great interest, and Zabini was lolling against a pillar not far away. **

"**Harry, I'd be annoyed too, I know it's your things he's stealing —"**

"Oh, yeah," said Neville, suddenly remembering the will.**  
**

**Harry gagged on his butterbeer; he had momentarily forgotten that he owned number twelve, Grimmauld Place.**

"How can you forget you own a house?" asked Tonks.

"I hadn't owned much of anything my entire life," _Harry_ explained, "and to suddenly own a house, well, it didn't quite register."**  
**

"I'd remember if I suddenly got a house," said little Ron.

"That may be, but not everyone would," said Arthur, who could understand _Harry's_ surprise. It wasn't every day that someone inherited a house filled with artifacts.

"**Yeah, it's my stuff!" he said. "No wonder he wasn't pleased to see me! Well, I'm going to tell Dumbledore what's going on, he's the only one who scares Mundungus."**

"**Good idea," whispered Hermione, clearly pleased that Harry was calming down. "Ron, what are you staring at?"**

"**Nothing," said Ron, hastily looking away from the bar, but Harry knew he was trying to catch the eye of the curvy and attractive barmaid, Madam Rosmerta, for whom he had long nursed a soft spot.**

_Ron_ felt his cheeks turning red.**  
**

"Don't worry, I think nearly every male has had a soft spot for Madam Rosmerta had some point in time," assured Sirius.

That didn't help Ron at all, but rather made him regret his interest more than ever.

"**I expect 'nothing's' in the back getting more firewhisky," said Hermione waspishly.**

"Oi! I wasn't of age yet," said _Ron._**  
**

_"Ron_, you know what I mean," replied_ Hermione.  
_

**Ron ignored this jibe, sipping his drink in what he evidently considered to be a dignified silence. Harry was thinking about Sirius, and how he had hated those silver goblets anyway. Hermione drummed her fingers on the table, her eyes flickering between Ron and the bar. The moment Harry drained the last drops in his bottle she said, "Shall we call it a day and go back to school, then?"**

**The other two nodded; it had not been a fun trip and the weather was getting worse the longer they stayed. Once again they drew their cloaks tightly around them, rearranged their scarves, pulled on their gloves, then followed Katie Bell and a friend out of the pub and back up the High Street. Harry's thoughts strayed to Ginny as they trudged up the road to Hogwarts through the frozen slush. They had not met up with her, undoubtedly, thought Harry, because she and Dean were cozily closeted in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, that haunt of happy couples.**

"I never stepped foot in there and never will," said _Ginny_ firmly. "Even the idea of entering it gives me nightmares."**  
**

** Scowling, he bowed his head against the swirling sleet and trudged on.**

**It was a little while before Harry became aware that the voices of Katie Bell and her friend, which were being carried back to him on the wind, had become shriller and louder. Harry squinted at their indistinct figures. The two girls were having an argument about something Katie was holding in her hand. "It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Harry heard Katie say.**

"That sounds foreboding," murmured Bill.**  
**

The four time travelers stiffened slightly, knowing what was coming up. _Ginny_ exchanged a quick glance with _Harry_, worry in her eyes, but he shook his head. "I'll be fine," he assured, but he still picked up James from the floor and held his son close.

**They rounded a corner in the lane, sleet coming thick and fast, blurring Harry's glasses. Just as he raised a gloved hand to wipe them, Leanne made to grab hold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and the package fell to the ground.**

**At once, Katie rose into the air, not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. **

"That's definitely strange," said Arthur slowly as his brows knit together.

Sirius didn't say anything, but he knew it had to be a Dark Curse. That was the only thing that could cause something like that because from the description it wasn't a levitation spell. There wasn't anything graceful when someone levitated a human.**  
**

Dumbledore stared straight ahead. Whatever it was was Dark and how on earth did a Dark object get into the hands of a student? There was the fact that Draco Malfoy would become a Death Eater, but even he wouldn't be able to sneak Dark items into or out of the school, not with Filch around at any rate.

The tension slowly grew in the room. Something was off. No one could pinpoint exactly what the matter was, but something obviously wasn't right.

_Hermione_ glanced at the next line and took a deep breath before continuing.

**Yet there was something wrong, something eerie…**

"What is it?" asked Tonks as her hair began to turn grey from worry.**  
**

The younger children in the room began to shift awkwardly in their seats, not knowing if they should stay there or join some of the older children and adults.

** Her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Leanne had all halted in their tracks, watching.**

**Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream.**

"W-What's happening?" stuttered little Ginny as her eyes went wide and voicing the concern of everyone in the room. These books had been very scary for her, especially the second book. She hated being scared, but that had been happening all the time in these books, but she didn't want to admit that she was scared yet, so she stayed firmly in the beanbag, though she was shaking slightly. Little Hermione looked at little Ginny curiously for a bit, but soon looked back at her older counterpart.**  
**

Everyone else in the room were also staring at _Hermione_ as they waited for her to read, everyone except for _Ron_, _Harry_, and _Ginny_ of course. _Harry_ and _Ron_ were both trying to keep the image out of their minds, while _Ginny_ sat quietly. She was thankful that she hadn't seen this, but she had overheard Katie's scream. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sound of _Hermione's_ calm reading voice.

** Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed; Leanne started to scream too and seized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. **

"You have to get her down quickly," said Sirius hurriedly. "If it's something Dark, which it has to be, the longer she's in the air, the more the curse can spread, and the more powerful and lethal it will become."**  
**

"I didn't know specifics, but I did figure out that we needed to get her down quickly," said _Harry_, who was slightly shaken from reliving the memory.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed forward to help, but even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them; Harry and Ron managed to catch her but she was writhing so much they could hardly hold her. Instead they lowered her to the ground where she thrashed and screamed, apparently unable to recognize any of them.**

"Definitely Dark then," winced Remus. He wondered what on earth could cause such a reaction and why would someone want to curse a seventh-year Gryffindor? Unless of course the package hadn't been meant for Katie, now there was an interesting theory.**  
**

"'Ow did eet 'appen?" asked Fleur.

"It should be explained soon," _Harry_ answered.

**Harry looked around; the landscape seemed deserted.**

"**Stay there!" he shouted at the others over the howling wind. "I'm going for help!"**

"Finally," sighed Tonks in relief.

"Oi! I do occasionally ask for help!" defended _Harry_. "And I knew that I couldn't handle this one."**  
**

**He began to sprint toward the school; he had never seen anyone behave as Katie had just behaved and could not think what had caused it; he hurtled around a bend in the lane and collided with what seemed to be an enormous bear on its hind legs.**

"What now?" moaned a white-faced Molly.**  
**

"**Hagrid!"**

"Whew," Molly sighed. "At least he'll be able to help you carry Katie back to Hogwarts."**  
**

** he panted, disentangling himself from the hedgerow into which he had fallen.**

"**Harry!" said Hagrid, who had sleet trapped in his eyebrows and beard, and was wearing his great, shaggy beaverskin coat. "Jus' bin visitin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn' —"**

"Hagrid!" cried Charlie. "Now isn't the time."**  
**

"**Hagrid, someone's hurt back there, or cursed, or something —"**

"**Wha?" said Hagrid, bending lower to hear what Harry was saying over the raging wind.**

"**Someone's been cursed!" bellowed Harry.**

"**Cursed? Who's bin cursed — not Ron? Hermione?"**

"It is touching that he thinks of those two first," said Molly.**  
**

"**No, it's not them, it's Katie Bell — this way…"**

**Together they ran back along the lane. It took them no time to find the little group of people around Katie, who was still writhing and screaming on the ground; Ron, Hermione, and Leanne were all trying to quiet her.**

"And it wasn't working," muttered _Ron_. He remembered the panic he had been feeling during that time. Nothing they did caused any change in Katie and by the time _Harry_ had arrived, he had been nearly ready to simply run for it.**  
**

"**Get back!" shouted Hagrid. "Lemme see her!"**

"**Something's happened to her!" sobbed Leanne. "I don't know what —"**

**Hagrid stared at Katie for a second, then without a word, bent down, scooped her into his arms, and ran off toward the castle with her. Within seconds, Katie's piercing screams had died away and the only sound was the roar of the wind.**

**Hermione hurried over to Katie's wailing friend and put an arm around her.**

"**It's Leanne, isn't it?"**

**The girl nodded.**

"**Did it just happen all of a sudden, or —?"**

"**It was when that package tore," sobbed Leanne, pointing at the now sodden brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter. Ron bent down, his hand out-stretched, **

"Don't touch it!" said Arthur sharply.**  
**

**but Harry seized his arm and pulled him back.**

"I guess you saved my life more than once that year," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"I wonder if I should tally up how many times I have saved it," _Harry_ mused.

"Just Hogwarts years, or would you include Auror years?" _Ron_ wondered.

_Harry_ shrugged. "Probably if I included later years, it would double the amount of times."

Sirius looked at the two friends and slowly shook his head. He didn't know if he could stand any more death defying stunts. "When did Harry save your life again this year?" he asked slowly.

"Uh, March," answered _Ron_ quickly. That birthday had been one of his worse birthdays ever, though compared to his eighteenth, being unconscious in the hospital wing wasn't overly bad. It just sucked that he had been in the hospital for his coming-of-age.

"**Don't touch it!"**

**He crouched down. An ornate opal necklace was visible, poking out of the paper.**

"The necklace!" cried Charlie. "The necklace from Borgin and Burkes!"

"The one that's killed lots of people?" confirmed Percy and after getting a nod from Charlie continued saying, "what was Katie doing with it?"

"That's what we all wanted to know," said _Harry_, "and we found out eventually."**  
**

**"I've seen that before," said Harry, staring at the thing. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it." He looked up at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably. "How did Katie get hold of this?"**

"How did she?" asked little Ginny.

"You'll find out the answer in this book," promised _Ginny_, "but just wait until it's revealed."**  
**

"**Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it… Oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realize!"**

**Leanne shook with renewed sobs. Hermione patted her shoulder gently.**

"**She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?"**

"**No… she wouldn't tell me… and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and… and then I tried to grab it from her… and — and —"**

"At least the necklace only touched one of them," said Arthur quietly. "The damage could have been much worse."

_Harry_ winced as he realized yet again how close people had come to dying, even this early in the war.**  
**

**Leanne let out a wail of despair.**

"**We'd better get up to school," said Hermione, her arm still around Leanne. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on…"**

**Harry hesitated for a moment, then pulled his scarf from around his face and, ignoring Ron's gasp, carefully covered the necklace in it and picked it up.**

"Just don't touch it," begged Sirius.**  
**

"I'm not that stupid," said _Harry_ in defense. "I don't deliberately put myself in danger."

_Ron_ coughed and looked _Harry_ in the eye. "Okay, okay!" said _Harry_ as he threw up his hands in defense. "Yes, there was that, but it was the only way."

"Do I even want to know?" groaned Remus.

"I don't think so," _Harry_ said, wincing inwardly. Yes, it could be argued that he had deliberately walked into danger when he sacrificed himself, but there was no other possible way to end the war.

"**We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey," he said.**

"Severus would probably be a better candidate for that necklace," said Dumbledore quietly. "He is an expert in Dark artifacts."

"Because he's a bloody Death Eater," muttered Sirius. This time, he was simply ignored.**  
**

**As they followed Hermione and Leanne up the road, Harry was thinking furiously. They had just entered the grounds when he spoke, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer.**

"**Malfoy knows about this necklace. It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered it and he went back for it!"**

"**I — I dunno, Harry," said Ron hesitantly. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes… and didn't that girl say Katie got it in the girls' bathroom?"**

"I don't think a Malfoy would stoop that low," said Sirius. "It would ruin their 'honour' to get caught in a girl's bathroom."**  
**

"**She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself —"**

"**McGonagall!" said Ron warningly.**

**Harry looked up. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them.**

"**Hagrid says you four saw what happened to Katie Bell — upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding, Potter?"**

"**It's the thing she touched," said Harry.**

"**Good lord," said Professor McGonagall, looking alarmed as she took the necklace from Harry. **

"**No, no, Filch, they're with me!" she added hastily,**

"Merlin! It would've been bad if _Harry_ had tried to enter Hogwarts with that necklace!" said Tonks in astonishment.**  
**

** as Filch came shuffling eagerly across the entrance hall holding his Secrecy Sensor aloft. "Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"**

**Harry and the others followed Professor McGonagall upstairs and into her office. The sleet-spattered windows were rattling in their frames, and the room was chilly despite the fire crackling in the grate. Professor McGonagall closed the door and swept around her desk to face Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the still sobbing Leanne.**

"**Well?" she said sharply. "What happened?"**

**Haltingly, and with many pauses while she attempted to control her crying, Leanne told Professor McGonagall how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked package, how Katie had seemed a little odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, the argument culminating in the tussle over the parcel, which tore open. At this point, Leanne was so overcome, there was no getting another word out of her.**

"**All right," said Professor McGonagall, not unkindly, "go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."**

"Was Leanne all right?" asked Molly softly.

"Yes, somewhat traumatized, but she was fine," _Hermione_ answered.**  
**

**When she had left the room, Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.**

"**What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"**

"**She rose up in the air," said Harry, before either Ron or Hermione could speak, "and then began to scream, and collapsed. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"**

"**The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, looking surprised.**

"Why do you always have to pick the worst times to be away?" asked Sirius.

"I'm afraid I do not know," Dumbledore answered quite calmly, "but I should let Minerva know that if events such as this occur, she should contact me immediately."**  
**

"**Away?" Harry repeated angrily.**

"**Yes, Potter, away!" said Professor McGonagall tartly. "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"**

"I hate to say it, but McGonagall doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to believing things _Harry_ tells her," said Arthur slowly. "I mean, there was the whole Philosopher's Stone incident in his first year."**  
**

"Yeah," _Harry_ agreed, "and I do think that was the main reason I rarely told adults what I thought was going on. I figured that they would all react the same, except for Dumbledore of course. He's so strange that he'll believe the most bizarre ideas."

"Thank you, Harry," said Dumbledore.

**For a split second, Harry hesitated. Professor McGonagall did not invite confidences; Dumbledore, though in many ways more intimidating, still seemed less likely to scorn a theory, however wild. **

**This was a life-and-death matter, though, and no moment to worry about being laughed at.**

"**I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."**

There was dead silence after this statement. No one in the living room quite knew what to think. They were all certain that Malfoy was a Death Eater, the earlier chapters probed that, but did he have the capability to murder a fellow student? Was this the special task he was supposed to perform?**  
**

Remus was certain that this couldn't be the task. As much as he didn't want to say it, killing a student wouldn't be considered a 'special assignment' and that meant the true assignment had to be much more sinister.

Sirius was chewing on his lip as she tried to figure out why Malfoy would want to kill a Gryffindor seventh=year, but couldn't think of any. He was still certain that Malfoy was involved in this, even indirectly.

**On one side of him, Ron rubbed his nose in apparent embarrassment; on the other, Hermione shuffled her feet as though quite keen to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry.**

"Sorry," they apologized together.

"It's fine," said _Harry_. "I know I didn't have the best proof."**  
**

"**That is a very serious accusation, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, after a shocked pause. "Do you have any proof?"**

"His guesswork is spot on enough times that it could probably be considered proof," said Bill.

"Yeah, but it isn't always right," said _Harry_. "At least, with being Deputy Head of the Aurors, I can bring people in for questioning if I suspect them, and more often than not, I bring the right person in."**  
**

"**No," said Harry, "but…" and he told her about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation they had over-heard between him and Mr. Borgin.**

**When he had finished speaking, Professor McGonagall looked slightly confused.**

"**Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"**

**"No, he was asking how to mend something,"  
**

"**No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace —"**

"**You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"**

"**No, Professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him —"**

"The cabinet," muttered _Harry_ under his breath.**  
**

"The other vanishing cabinet," murmured Bill. "Could he be trying to get the passage between the vanishing cabinets to work again?"

Again, he received no answer.

"**But Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no —"**

"**Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" said Harry angrily.**

"**What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'" said Hermione.**

"**Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," interjected Ron.**

"Considering the object that he did buy there, he really would've looked like an idiot," muttered _Harry_.**  
**

"What did he buy?" asked Tonks.

"All will be found out," _Harry_ assured. He sighed and not for the first time wished that something had been done about the vanishing cabinets earlier. If they hadn't been fixed, perhaps everything would be better.

**"Oh, Ron," said Hermione despairingly, "it would be all wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide inside a cloak, so nobody would see it! I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street — and in any case," she pressed on loudly, before Harry could interrupt, "I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything —"**

"Like he'd tell you," said Fred.

"You really need to learn how to sneak," added George.**  
**

"**Well, you were being really obvious, he realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you — anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since —"**

"**That's enough!" said Professor McGonagall, as Hermione opened her mouth to retort, looking furious. "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people —"**

"But how many Hogwarts students?" wondered Charlie darkly. "That should narrow it down considerably. At least, to just Slytherins."**  
**

"I've been there and I'm a Gryffindor," said Sirius. "I hated it, but my mother dragged me there once."

"Okay, only a Slytherin would go there willingly," said Charlie, amending his previous statement.

"Now that is true," said Sirius.

"— **that's what I said —" muttered Ron.**

"— **and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge —"**

"**But —"**

"— **and what is more," said Professor McGonagall, with an air of awful finality, "Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."**

"WHAT?" asked Tonks in surprise. She had been so certain that Malfoy was the one who did it that she couldn't believe her ears. The majority of the others in the room stared at Hermione in shock. There had to be an explanation as Malfoy obviously was the one who had planned it at any rate, well, him or his superior.**  
**

**Harry gaped at her, deflating.**

"**How do you know, Professor?"**

"**Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row.**

"Ha!" said little Ron gleefully. It wasn't that he was thankful that Malfoy hadn't been in Hogsmeade, rather he was glad that Malfoy was finally getting what he deserved: punishment.**  
**

** So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter," she said as she marched past them, "but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."**

**She held open her office door. They had no choice but to file past her without another word.**

**Harry was angry with the other two for siding with McGonagall; nevertheless, he felt compelled to join in once they started discussing what had happened.**

"**So who do you reckon Katie was supposed to give the necklace to?" asked Ron, as they climbed the stairs to the common room.**

"**Goodness only knows," said Hermione. "But whoever it was has had a narrow escape. No one could have opened that package without touching the necklace."**

"Thank heavens that no one did touch it, except for the slight brush Katie made," said _Ginny_ quietly. She was imagining what would've happened if they had lost Dumbledore earlier in the war. Surely it would've been lost, especially because _Harry_ wouldn't have known what the Horcruxes were.**  
**

"**It could've been meant for loads of people," said Harry. "Dumbledore — the Death Eaters would love to get rid of him, he must be one of their top targets.**

"Right after you," said _Ginny_.**  
**

**Or Slughorn — Dumbledore reckons Voldemort really wanted him and they can't be pleased that he's sided with Dumbledore. Or —"**

"**Or you," said Hermione, looking troubled.**

"I don't think the Death Eaters would be that obvious," said Sirius worriedly. He hated the fact that his godson would end up being one of the most wanted wizards, for the Death Eaters at any rate.

"Do you honestly think Voldemort would let a Death Eater kill _Harry_?" asked Tonks.

"Come to think, he wouldn't want anyone but himself to have that honour," agreed Bill.

"Don't talk about that," said Sirius sternly as he tried to avoid panic.**  
**

"I think Harry can safely be ruled out for Tonks' reason," said Dumbledore. "If she is correct, that can easily be a part of Voldemort's downfall. By not allowing anyone else to even try to kill Harry, he is giving us a major advantage and also making himself appear rather stupid."

"**Couldn't have been," said Harry, "or Katie would've just turned around in the lane and given it to me, wouldn't she? I was behind her all the way out of the Three Broomsticks. It would have made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone who goes in and out. I wonder why Malfoy told her to take it into the castle?"**

"**Harry, Malfoy wasn't in Hogsmeade!" said Hermione, actually stamping her foot in frustration.**

"He doesn't have to be there to be the instigator of the crime," Bill pointed out.**  
**

"**He must have used an accomplice, then," said Harry. "Crabbe or Goyle **

"Malfoy wouldn't choose either of those goons," said Tonks with firm conviction.**  
**

**— or, come to think of it, another Death Eater, he'll have loads better cronies than Crabbe and Goyle now he's joined up —"**

**Ron and Hermione exchanged looks that plainly said There's no point arguing with him.**

"**Dilligrout," said Hermione firmly as they reached the Fat Lady.**

**The portrait swung open to admit them to the common room. It was quite full and smelled of damp clothing; many people seemed to have returned from Hogsmeade early because of the bad weather. There was no buzz of fear or speculation, however: Clearly, the news of Katie's fate had not yet spread.**

"That won't last for much longer," said Molly sadly.**  
**

"**It wasn't a very slick attack, really, when you stop and think about it," said Ron, casually turfing a first year out of one of the good armchairs by the fire so that he could sit down. **

"_Ronald_!"**  
**

"**The curse didn't even make it into the castle. Not what you'd call foolproof."**

"Unless it wasn't supposed to make it to the castle," said Percy. "It could be a decoy."

"That is an excellent observation, Percy," said Dumbledore. "And it very well may be. But we also do have to consider the possibility that it was the actual plan as well."**  
**

"**You're right," said Hermione, prodding Ron out of the chair with her foot and offering it to the first year again. **

"**It wasn't very well thought-out at all."**

"**But since when has Malfoy been one of the world's great thinkers?" asked Harry.**

"Since never," said _Ron_ adamantly.**  
**

**Neither Ron nor Hermione answered him.**

"I answered that time," _Ron_ said with a grin.**  
**

"That's it," said _Hermione_ and she quickly put the book down. It had been horrible to see Katie get cursed and nearly as bad to read about it. "Who's reading next?" Once the book was passed off to Charlie, _Hermione_ whacked her husband for his words of a few moments prior.**  
**

"Oi!" cried _Ron_, "you've got a daughter in my arms."

"Very well," said _Hermione_ as she took Rose. "_Harry_, _Ginny_, you have my permission to whack him all you want."

"Oi!" cried _Ron_ again, but thankfully no one whacked him.

"How many more chapters are we planning on reading before dinner?" asked Charlie.

"I'd say there's time for about two more," answered Arthur as Charlie turned the page.

* * *

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. Don't worry, the current plan is for Sirius to raise him.**_

_**Anonymous: Thanks for the review. Music of the Night is one of them that I've been playing, but my current favorite is All I Ask Of You.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. :) As for your age, I'd guess somewhere between the ages of fifteen and twenty.**_

_**totallyobsessed123: Thanks for the review. Sorry I took so long with this update.**_


	14. The Secret Riddle

_**A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.**_

_**Enjoy the chapter. This was one somewhat hard to do, so I hope I did it justice. Hopefully the next chapter won't take very long, but considering the content, it might prove difficult to write.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. **_

"Guess this chapter has to do with Voldemort," said Charlie when he had turned to the next chapter._  
_

"What makes you specifically say that?" asked Bill. "They all have to do with him in one way or another.

In answer, Charlie read the chapter title out loud.

**The Secret Riddle**

"Oh."**  
**

**Katie was removed to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries the following day, by which time the news that she had been cursed had spread all over the school, though the details were confused and nobody other than Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Leanne seemed to know that Katie herself had not been the intended target.**

"But who was it?" asked Neville.**  
**

"_Hermione_ and _Harry_, they said that it had to be Dumbledore, Slughorn, or Harry," answered Percy.

"**Oh, and Malfoy knows, of course," said Harry to Ron and Hermione, who continued their new policy of feigning deafness whenever Harry mentioned his Malfoy-Is-a-Death-Eater theory.**

"I didn't name it that!" cried _Harry_.**  
**

"Perhaps you did call it that, but in your subconscious," retorted _Hermione_.

"_Hermione_!"

**Harry had wondered whether Dumbledore would return from wherever he had been in time for Monday night's lesson, but having had no word to the contrary, he presented himself outside Dumbledore's office at eight o'clock, knocked, and was told to enter. There sat Dumbledore looking unusually tired; his hand was as black and burned as ever, but he smiled when he gestured to Harry to sit down. The Pensieve was sitting on the desk again, casting silvery specks of light over the ceiling.**

"**You have had a busy time while I have been away," Dumbledore said. "I believe you witnessed Katie's accident."**

"**Yes, sir. How is she?"**

"**Still very unwell, although she was relatively lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest possible amount of skin; there was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died, perhaps instantly. **

The tension in the room visibly relaxed. Even though they had known that Katie had recovered, it was still a relief to have it confirmed in the book.**  
**

**Luckily Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent a rapid spread of the curse —"**

"**Why him?" asked Harry quickly. "Why not Madam Pomfrey?"**

"Snape, unlike Pomfrey, has a great deal of experience with the Dark Arts," said Dumbledore.**  
**

"**Impertinent," said a soft voice from one of the portraits on the wall, and Phineas Nigellus Black, Sirius's great-great-grandfather, raised his head from his arms where he had appeared to be sleeping. "I would not have permitted a student to question the way Hogwarts operated in my day."**

"No wonder you were the least liked Headmaster," muttered Sirius.**  
**

"That can be argued at times," muttered _Ginny_. All of the students had hated Snape during his tenure as Headmaster, and she still didn't like how he had run things, but she knew that he had had to keep up appearances. Though, she should have realized things weren't adding up when his detentions were the easiest.

"**Yes, thank you, Phineas," said Dumbledore quellingly. "Professor Snape knows much more about the Dark Arts than Madam Pomfrey, Harry.**

"You really don't change much in the next ten years," said Arthur with a slight shake of his head.

**Anyway, the St. Mungo's staff are sending me hourly reports, and I am hopeful that Katie will make a full recovery in time."**

"And she did," _Harry_ confirmed. It had been a relief to everyone, and especially Oliver, when Katie had recovered.**  
**

"Good," said Molly.

"**Where were you this weekend, sir?" Harry asked, disregarding a strong feeling that he might be pushing his luck, a feeling apparently shared by Phineas Nigellus, who hissed softly.**

"**I would rather not say just now," said Dumbledore. "However, I shall tell you in due course."**

"Did he?" asked Remus.**  
**

"Yes, I eventually found out what he had been up to," assured _Harry_. Dumbledore had been doing a lot of things while our and about this year.

"**You will?" said Harry, startled.**

**"Yes, I expect so," said Dumbledore, withdrawing a fresh bottle of silver memories from inside his robes and uncorking it with a prod of his wand.**

"**Sir," said Harry tentatively, "I met Mundungus in Hogsmeade."**

**"Ah yes, I am already aware that Mundungus has been treating your inheritance with light-fingered contempt," said Dumbledore, frowning a little. "He has gone to ground since you accosted him outside the Three Broomsticks; I rather think he dreads facing me. However, rest assured that he will not be making away with any more of Sirius's old possessions."**

"Good," said little Harry stoutly.**  
**

"**That mangy old half-blood has been stealing Black heirlooms?" said Phineas Nigellus, incensed; and he stalked out of his frame, undoubtedly to visit his portrait in number twelve, Grimmauld Place.**

"**Professor," said Harry, after a short pause, "did Professor McGonagall tell you what I told her after Katie got hurt? About Draco Malfoy?"**

**"She told me of your suspicions, yes," said Dumbledore.**

"**And do you —?"**

"**I shall take all appropriate measures to investigate anyone who might have had a hand in Katie's accident," said Dumbledore.**

"Which is basically saying that you'll consider the option," said Percy.

"Logically, it makes sense for young Mr. Malfoy to be involved," said Dumbledore, "especially when you consider the information found in the second chapter."**  
**

** "But what concerns me now, Harry, is our lesson."**

"What's it about this time?" inquired little Ginny.**  
**

**Harry felt slightly resentful at this: If their lessons were so very important, why had there been such a long gap between the first and second? **

"Perhaps he was out gathering more memories?" wondered Tonks, but she was fairly certain that couldn't be the reason.**  
**

**However, he said no more about Draco Malfoy, but watched as Dumbledore poured the fresh memories into the Pensieve and began swirling the stone basin once more between his long-fingered hands.**

"**You will remember, I am sure, that we left the tale of Lord Voldemort's beginnings at the point where the handsome Muggle, Tom Riddle, had abandoned his witch wife, Merope, and returned to his family home in Little Hangleton. Merope was left alone in London, expecting the baby who would one day become Lord Voldemort."**

"It's so strange to think of him as an infant," said Tonks as she suppressed a shudder.**  
**

"Tell me about it," said _Harry_.

"**How do you know she was in London, sir?"**

"He's Dumbledore?" suggested little Ron. That seemed to be the correct answer to any question about Dumbledore.

"Not quite, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore gently. "I'm not all knowing."**  
**

"**Because of the evidence of one Caractacus Burke," said Dumbledore, "who, by an odd coincidence, helped found the very shop whence came the necklace we have just been discussing."**

**He swilled the contents of the Pensieve as Harry had seen him swill them before, much as a gold prospector sifts for gold. Up out of the swirling, silvery mass rose a little old man revolving slowly in the Pensieve, silver as a ghost but much more solid, with a thatch of hair that completely covered his eyes.**

"**Yes, we acquired it in curious circumstances. It was brought in by a young witch just before Christmas, oh, many years ago now. She said she needed the gold badly, well, that much was obvious. Covered in rags and pretty far along… Going to have a baby, see. She said the locket had been Slytherin's. Well, we hear that sort of story all the time, 'Oh, this was Merlin's, this was, his favorite teapot,' but when I looked at it, it had his mark all right, and a few simple spells were enough to tell me the truth. Of course, that made it near enough priceless. She didn't seem to have any idea how much it was worth. Happy to get ten Galleons for it. Best bargain we ever made!"**

"What?" cried an outraged Molly.**  
**

"The measly Galleons for Slytherin's locket?" asked Bill. "How much would something like that be worth?"

"Around twenty thousand or perhaps more," Sirius answered. "That would be the lowest price at any rate. It could easily go into millions."

Nearly everyone in the room whistle in astonishment. _Harry_ was bug-eyed. He knew that it had been worth much, but not quite that much. Too bad there wasn't a way to destroy a Horcrux without destroying the container as well.

"Something wrong, _Harry_?" asked _Ron_.

"N-No," said _Harry_. "I was just thinking of the worth and well, you know …"

"Oh yeah," replied _Ron_ as he realized what _Harry_ was thinking about. He grimaced slightly, wondering what everyone would think when it was destroyed. True, it had simply been an object, housing something extremely evil, but it would've been an interesting object to have in a museum.

"Could things have been changed if Merope had gotten what the locket was worth?" wondered Bill. He would never tell anyone this, but he half hoped that the locket was hidden in some basement somewhere, and if he could find it, he could sell it to help his family.

"She certainly wouldn't have been poor," replied Percy.

**Dumbledore gave the Pensieve an extra-vigorous shake and Caractacus Burke descended back into the swirling mass of memory from whence he had come.**

"**He only gave her ten Galleons?" said Harry indignantly.**

"**Caractacus Burke was not famed for his generosity," said Dumbledore.**

"That's an understatement," muttered Sirius.**  
**

**"So we know that, near the end of her pregnancy, Merope was alone in London and in desperate need of gold, desperate enough to sell her one and only valuable possession, the locket that was one of Marvolo's treasured family heirlooms."**

"I'll bet he was livid when he discovered its absence," muttered Tonks. "He deserved it though."**  
**

"**But she could do magic!" said Harry impatiently. "She could have got food and everything for herself by magic, couldn't she?"**

"Not technically," said Bill. "Food is one of the five exceptions to Gamp's laws of Transfiguration. If you already have food, you can duplicate it to get more, but that's pretty much it."**  
**

"**Ah," said Dumbledore, "perhaps she could. But it is my belief — I am guessing again, but I am sure I am right — that when her husband abandoned her, Merope stopped using magic. I do not think that she wanted to be a witch any longer. Of course, it is also possible that her unrequited love and the attendant despair sapped her of her powers; that can happen. In any case, as you are about to see, Merope refused to raise her wand even to save her own life."**

"**She wouldn't even stay alive for her son?"**

"Are you feeling sorry for Voldemort?" asked Charlie in shock.**  
**

**Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?"**

"**No," said Harry quickly, "but she had a choice, didn't she, not like my mother —"**

"Lily had a choice," said Sirius gently. "She could've fled, but she chose to stay."**  
**

_Harry_ winced. He knew that Sirius was right. Not for the first time he wondered what the reactions would be to his 'dream' about the attack.

"**Your mother had a choice too," said Dumbledore gently. **

**"Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage. And now, if you will stand…"**

"**Where are we going?" Harry asked, as Dumbledore joined him at the front of the desk.**

"**This time," said Dumbledore, "we are going to enter my memory. I think you will find it both rich in detail and satisfyingly accurate.**

"Albus," said Remus with a shake of his head.**  
**

** After you, Harry…"**

**Harry bent over the Pensieve; his face broke the cool surface of the memory and then he was falling through darkness again… Seconds later, his feet hit firm ground; he opened his eyes and found that he and Dumbledore were standing in a bustling, old-fashioned London street.**

"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore, knowing where this memory was going.**  
**

"**There I am," said Dumbledore brightly, pointing ahead of them to a tall figure crossing the road in front of a horse-drawn milk cart.**

**This younger Albus Dumbledore's long hair and beard were auburn. Having reached their side of the street, he strode off along the pavement, drawing many curious glances due to the flamboyantly cut suit of plum velvet that he was wearing.**

"You never had a decent sense of fashion, did you?" asked _Ginny_.

"Actually, I considered by attire to be the height of fashion," Dumbledore replied.**  
**

"**Nice suit, sir," said Harry, before he could stop himself, but Dumbledore merely chuckled as they followed his younger self a short distance, finally passing through a set of iron gates into a bare courtyard that fronted a rather grim, square building surrounded by high railings. He mounted the few steps leading to the front door and knocked once. After a moment or two, the door was opened by a scruffy girl wearing an apron.**

**"Good afternoon. I have an appointment with a Mrs. Cole, who, I believe, is the matron here?"**

"**Oh," said the bewildered-looking girl, taking in Dumbledore's eccentric appearance. "Um… just a mo'… MRS. COLE!" she bellowed over her shoulder.**

"This sounds like it almost stepped out of _Oliver Twist_," said Tonks.

"You know about Dickens?" asked little Hermione eagerly. "I've only read a little bit of his works, but I've liked it so far."

"Yeah," Tonks replied. "Dad introduced him to me a few years ago."**  
**

"Dickens?" questioned Percy.

"Muggle author," answered Bill. "If you end up taking Muggle Studies, you'll hear about him. I had to read one of his novels last year and ended up choosing_ A Tale of Two Cities._"

"So that was that thick book you had stuck to your face," murmured Percy.

"I chose it because it was actually thinner than some," Bill retorted. "One of the boys chose to read _David Copperfield_ which was a few hundred pages longer I think."

"As interesting as this Dickens discussion is, and as much as I enjoy reading his books, I think it's high time we got back to the book," said _Hermione_.

**Harry heard a distant voice shouting something in response. The girl turned back to Dumbledore. "Come in, she's on 'er way."**

**Dumbledore stepped into a hallway tiled in black and white; the whole place was shabby but spotlessly clean. Harry and the older Dumbledore followed. Before the front door had closed behind them, a skinny, harassed-looking woman came scurrying toward them. She had a sharp-featured face that appeared more anxious than unkind, and she was talking over her shoulder to another aproned helper as she walked toward Dumbledore.**

"… **and take the iodine upstairs to Martha, Billy Stubbs has been picking his scabs and Eric Whalley's oozing all over his sheets — chicken pox on top of everything else,"**

"Sounds like a busy and rather disgusting day," muttered Charlie.**  
**

** she said to nobody in particular, and then her eyes fell upon Dumbledore and she stopped dead in her tracks, looking as astonished as if a giraffe had just crossed her threshold.**

"Where do you get these descriptions?" asked Bill, not caring that the same question had already been asked numerous times.**  
**

"I honestly don't know," _Harry_ admitted.

"**Good afternoon," said Dumbledore, holding out his hand. Mrs. Cole simply gaped.**

"**My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent you a letter requesting an appointment and you very kindly invited me here today."**

**Mrs. Cole blinked. Apparently deciding that Dumbledore was not a hallucination,**

**"I guess you were out of place enough," said Fred.  
**

"Is there such a thing as out of place?" wondered Luna. "If one person is out of place, they think they're normal, but the exact same thoughts are going through the other person's mind as well."**  
**

"What?" asked little Ron.

"I think she means that there isn't such a thing as 'out of place' because it is subjective rather than objective," said _Hermione. _"Right, Luna?"

"Yes, that is my meaning," said Luna airily.

** she said feebly, "Oh yes. Well — well then — you'd better come into my room. Yes."**

**She led Dumbledore into a small room that seemed part sitting room, part office. It was as shabby as the hallway and the furniture was old and mismatched. She invited Dumbledore to sit on a rickety chair and seated herself behind a cluttered desk, eyeing him nervously.**

"He's not dangerous," said George firmly.

"Have you already forgotten the description of Dumbledore dueling Voldemort?" wondered Charlie. "He sure sounded dangerous there."

"So, Dumbledore simply chooses to be dangerous when he wishes to," said Tonks in a rather confused tone.

"I think that could be considered to be a correct theory, Miss Tonks," replied Dumbledore.**  
**

"**I am here, as I told you in my letter, to discuss Tom Riddle and arrangements for his future," said Dumbledore.**

"**Are you family?" asked Mrs. Cole.**

"**No, I am a teacher," said Dumbledore. "I have come to offer Tom a place at my school."**

"**What school's this, then?"**

"**It is called Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.**

"**And how come you're interested in Tom?"**

"Wow, didn't even pay attention to the name," said _Hermione_ in surprise. "My parents first reaction was wondering what kind of a name that was."**  
**

"**We believe he has qualities we are looking for."**

"**You mean he's won a scholarship? How can he have done? He's never been entered for one."**

"She's sharp," said Neville. Who would've thought that a Muggle … no, he should think like that, but her reaction and comments were still surprising.**  
**

"**Well, his name has been down for our school since birth —"**

"**Who registered him? His parents?"**

"No, it happened automatically," said Bill.

"What would happen if a magical child was adopted?" wondered little Harry. "Would his original surname be on the letter or would it be the adopted name?"

"Generally, it's the name at birth," said Dumbledore. "In special circumstances, we can manually change the surname. This has been done to protect children for various reasons as well as adopted students who wish to use the name they are most used to."**  
**

**There was no doubt that Mrs. Cole was an inconveniently sharp woman. Apparently Dumbledore thought so too, for Harry now saw him slip his wand out of the pocket of his velvet suit, at the same time picking up a piece of perfectly blank paper from Mrs. Cole's desktop.**

"**Here," said Dumbledore, waving his wand once as he passed her the piece of paper, "I think this will make everything clear."**

**Mrs. Cole's eyes slid out of focus and back again as she gazed intently at the blank paper for a moment.**

"That sounds like the Confundus Charm," said Remus simply.

"Or psychic paper?" asked _Ron_ with a grin. When he saw the lost looks on nearly everyone's faces he quickly added, "Another Doctor Who reference."

"And what about not using magic on Muggles?" asked Molly, as she turned the famous Weasley glare towards Dumbledore.

"I didn't use it on her," Dumbledore said in explanation. "I merely put the charm on the paper. In nearly all of the cases that involve Muggle-born or Muggle-rasied wizards, magical measures must be taken in order to allow the child to attend Hogwarts. In this case though, the nature of magic isn't coming out. I was merely using it to ensure that she would allow Riddle to attend Hogwarts."

"You really should've left him alone," muttered Percy.

"But aren't wizards with untrained magic even more dangerous?" asked _Hermione_.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered, "but I've often wondered what would have happened if Riddle hadn't come to Hogwarts. Would he have turned out as evil? He certainly didn't know what his gift was, but he still knew how to use it in order to manipulate people."******  
**

"I still think it might've been better for the world if he had never been introduced to the wizarding world," muttered _Ginny_.

"**That seems perfectly in order," she said placidly, handing it back. Then her eyes fell upon a bottle of gin and two glasses that had certainly not been present a few seconds before.**

"That's always one way of getting someone to talk to you," said Bill. He grinned as he remembered using Firewhiskey once to get Hagrid to talk. That was one of the joys of knowing where the kitchens were: you could get the elves to give you anything, even Firewhiskey to an underage student.**  
**

"**Er — may I offer you a glass of gin?" she said in an extra-refined voice.**

"**Thank you very much," said Dumbledore, beaming.**

**It soon became clear that Mrs. Cole was no novice when it came to gin drinking. Pouring both of them a generous measure, she drained her own glass in one gulp.**

"Even Hagrid doesn't drink that quickly," said Sirius in surprise. "This is one woman who enjoys getting drunk."

"Definitely not the type of person to run an orphanage," added Tonks.**  
**

** Smacking her lips frankly, she smiled at Dumbledore for the first time, and he didn't hesitate to press his advantage.**

"**I was wondering whether you could tell me anything of Tom Riddle's history? I think he was born here in the orphanage?"**

"**That's right," said Mrs. Cole, helping herself to more gin. "I remember it clear as anything, because I'd just started here myself. New Year's Eve and bitter cold, snowing, you know. Nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn't the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour."**

"New Years Eve," murmured Luna.

"Is there something special about that day?" asked little Ginny.

"It's the end of an old year," said Luna simply. "Voldemort is trying to hold on to the old ways."**  
**

"Oh, that makes sense," said Tonks. "What would he have been like if he had been born a few hours later?"

Nobody answered, partly because no-one knew and partly because they were trying and failing to imagine a Voldemort who would strive for the new changes that many wizards wanted to take place.

**Mrs. Cole nodded impressively and took another generous gulp of gin.**

"**Did she say anything before she died?" asked Dumbledore. "Anything about the boy's father, for instance?"**

"**Now, as it happens, she did," said Mrs. Cole, who seemed to be rather enjoying herself now, with the gin in her hand and an eager audience for her story. **

**"I remember she said to me, 'I hope he looks like his papa,' and I won't lie, she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty — and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father — yes, I know, funny name, isn't it?**

"Why did she name her son after two men who treated her horribly?" asked Charlie in disgust.

"Could they possibly be the only male names she knows?" wondered Percy.**  
**

"I pity her it that's true," said Sirius sadly. "She's missing out on the good names, like Harry." Sirius ruffled little Harry's head and he grinned.

"Oi!" cried _Harry_. He knew that Sirius really liked his name, but this wasn't the time to talk about it. "I'm bloody thankful that she didn't," he said firmly. "Imagine 'Harry' being Voldemort's real name?"

That got a mixture of laughter and horrified gasps from everyone in the room.

"Uh, I guess it is a good thing then," said Sirius a bit awkwardly. He really needed to learn to think before speaking.

**We wondered whether she came from a circus —**

"Well, you could call her house that," said Tonks. "Insanity is part of a circus."**  
**

"True, but there are different type of insanity," said Bill. "There's the insanity that Voldemort and his Death Eaters have and there's the insanity that you, Fred, and George possess."

"Are you calling me insane?" asked Tonks.

"Yes," answered Bill. He turned to the twins and added, "And you two as well."

"Not to mention the insanity that _Harry_ has," added _Ron_.

"Oi!" cried _Harry_. "If you're calling me insane, then you fit in the category. Half the insane things I did, you were involved with."

"Because you were doing them," _Ron_ pointed out. "You're the leader who always jumps into the insanity pit. Hermione and I just follow you through it."

"You're all insane in a good way," said _Ginny_ as she tried to stop the 'argument'. "Weasleys and Potters simply fit that category. Anyway, isn't insanity something to be proud of, especially to the Golden Trio?"

"Ginny!" said _Ron_ as he tried and failed to whack his sister.

"Ron, I am expecting you know," _Ginny_ said.

"I know, I know," muttered _Ron_.

Charlie simply laughed at the playful attitude the four time travelers had when they interacted with each other. Once everyone had calmed down somewhat, he continued to read.

** and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word.**

"**Well, we named him just as she'd said, it seemed so important to the poor girl, but no Tom nor Marvolo nor any kind of Riddle ever came looking for him, nor any family at all, so he stayed in the orphanage and he's been here ever since."**

"That's sad," said Luna.

Little Harry shuddered at how easily that could've been his life. Time and time again he had been threatened with the orphanage. He sometimes wondered if he would've been better off there, but now that he no longer had to worry about the Dursleys he had tried to forget about his wondering, but these books certainly weren't helping.

"Something wrong, pup?" asked Sirius.

Little Harry bit his lip. He didn't quite know what to say to his godfather. "Well," he said at last, "they used to threaten me with the orphanage when I was bad. Sometimes I wonder if it would've made a better life for me."

"Oh, Harry," Sirius said gently. "I don't want you to worry your head about that. You're with me and you won't be going anywhere." Sirius sent a firm glare in Dumbledore's direction to emphasize his point.**  
**

**Mrs. Cole helped herself, almost absentmindedly, to another healthy measure of gin. Two pink spots had appeared high on her cheekbones. Then she said, "He's a funny boy."**

"As funny as in 'ha ha' or as in 'odd'?" wondered Tonks.

"I'd say odd," answered Charlie. "I can't imagine Voldemort telling jokes."**  
**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "I thought he might be."**

"**He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was… odd."**

"Odd then," answered little Ginny.**  
**

"**Odd in what way?" asked Dumbledore gently.**

"**Well, he —"**

**But Mrs. Cole pulled up short, and there was nothing blurry or vague about the inquisitorial glance she shot Dumbledore over her gin glass.**

**"He's definitely got a place at your school, you say?"**

"**Definitely," said Dumbledore.**

"**And nothing I say can change that?"**

"**Nothing," said Dumbledore.**

"**You'll be taking him away, whatever?"**

"**Whatever," repeated Dumbledore gravely.**

"Sounds like she has some dirt on him," said Tonks, wondering what a young Voldemort had gotten up to. Whatever it was, she knew that it hadn't been pretty.**  
**

**She squinted at him as though deciding whether or not to trust him. Apparently she decided she could, because she said in a sudden rush, "He scares the other children."**

"That hasn't changed," said Arthur darkly.**  
**

"**You mean he is a bully?" asked Dumbledore.**

"**I think he must be," said Mrs. Cole, frowning slightly, "but it's very hard to catch him at it. There have been incidents… Nasty things…"**

"Like what?" wondered George worriedly. He didn't worry much, but when it came to You-Know-Who, he could get downright terrified.**  
**

**Dumbledore did not press her, though Harry could tell that he was interested. She took yet another gulp of gin and her rosy cheeks grew rosier still.**

"**Billy Stubbs's rabbit… well, Tom said he didn't do it and I don't see how he could have done, but even so, it didn't hang itself from the rafters, did it?"**

"He hung a rabbit?" cried little Ginny, her eyes going wide with horror. "A little rabbit?"

"Gin, calm down," said Molly gently. "Yes, he hung a rabbit and it was wrong. But at least it was a rabbit."

"A rabbit?" repeated little Ginny, still quite horrified. **  
**

"**I shouldn't think so, no," said Dumbledore quietly.**

"**But I'm jiggered if I know how he got up there to do it. All I know is he and Billy had argued the day before. And then"— Mrs. Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time — "on the summer outing — we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside — **

"Only once?" asked Bill in horror. "That's … that's horrible!"

"It's an orphanage, they don't have much money or supplies to take the children places," said Arthur.

"I know," said Bill, "but they should still try to take better care of them."**  
**

**well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they'd gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. **

"What did he do to them?" asked Molly.

"I don't know and no one ever will," admitted _Harry_ rather sadly.**  
**

**He swore they'd just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I'm sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things…"**

"Like what?" wondered little Ginny. She was curious, but at the same time frightened.**  
**

**She looked around at Dumbledore again, and though her cheeks were flushed, her gaze was steady. "I don't think many people will be sorry to see the back of him."**

"Probably everyone was grateful that they didn't have to live with him for the majority of the year," said Remus. "Even if he was just a boy."**  
**

"**You understand, I'm sure, that we will not be keeping him permanently?" said Dumbledore. "He will have to return here, at the very least, every summer."**

"**Oh, well, that's better than a whack on the nose with a rusty poker," said Mrs. Cole with a slight hiccup. She got to her feet, and Harry was impressed to see that she was quite steady, even though two-thirds of the gin was now gone. "I suppose you'd like to see him?"**

"**Very much," said Dumbledore, rising too.**

**She led him out of her office and up the stone stairs, calling out instructions and admonitions to helpers and children as she passed. The orphans, Harry saw, were all wearing the same kind of grayish tunic. They looked reasonably well-cared for, but there was no denying that this was a grim place in which to grow up.**

"At least it would've been better than the streets," said Molly softly. "This was taking place during the Great Depression when many people were homeless and jobless."**  
**

"**Here we are," said Mrs. Cole, as they turned off the second landing and stopped outside the first door in a long corridor. She knocked twice and entered.**

"**Tom? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton — sorry, Dunderbore. **

"It's Dum-ble-dore," said Fred, carefully enunciating every syllable.**  
**

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "It is strange that many people have trouble pronouncing it."

"I wonder if it's a wizarding thing or simply ignorance," mused _Harry_. "Mrs. Cole can't pronounce your name and my relatives couldn't pronounce Voldemort or Dementor."

"Someone should research that then," said Ron. "_Hermione_?"

"_Ronald_! I don't need to research everything!" cried Hermione.

"Whenever you have a question, you spend forever trying to find the most detailed answer you possibly can," _Ron_ replied. "I think that qualifies as I need to research anything and everything."

**He's come to tell you — well, I'll let him do it."**

**Harry and the two Dumbledores entered the room, and Mrs. Cole closed the door on them. It was a small bare room with nothing in it except an old wardrobe and an iron bedstead. A boy was sitting on top of the gray blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book.**

**There was no trace of the Gaunts in Tom Riddle's face. Merope had got her dying wish: He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale.**

_Ginny_ shuddered at the description. One of her worst memories was seeing sixteen-year-old Riddle coming out of the diary right before the fainted. _Harry_ placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"Mummy?" asked James. "You 'kay?"**  
**

"Yes, James," answered _Ginny_ as she placed her son in her lap. "Mummy is okay. She has you and Daddy with her." James gave her a little grin, promptly stuck his thumb in his mouth, and curled up against her chest. Ginny lovingly rubbed her son's back as Charlie continued reading.

**His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Dumbledore's eccentric appearance. There was a moment's silence.**

"**How do you do, Tom?" said Dumbledore, walking forward and holding out his hand.**

**The boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside Riddle, so that the pair of them looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor.**

"He belongs in the mental ward," said Neville angrily. Very few people deserved his parents' fate, but Voldemort did. It was that or death for him.**  
**

"**I am Professor Dumbledore."**

"'**Professor'?" repeated Riddle. He looked wary. "Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?"**

"I certainly would've avoided him there, even if I hadn't known he'd turn out to be Voldemort," said Remus. "He wasn't even a pleasant child."**  
**

**He was pointing at the door through which Mrs. Cole had just left.**

"**No, no," said Dumbledore, smiling.**

"**I don't believe you," said Riddle. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!"**

"Demanding even at age eleven," winced Sirius.**  
**

**He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. **

"Well, considering what he's already done, I wouldn't put it past him," Arthur muttered.**  
**

**His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still.**

"I would be if I used to be able to scare everyone and suddenly ran across someone who wasn't scared by me," said Tonks, which resulted in getting several strange glances directed her way. "What? It makes sense," she said in defense, but didn't explain any further.**  
**

"**Who are you?"**

"**I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school — your new school, if you would like to come."**

**Riddle's reaction to this was most surprising. He leapt from the bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking furious.**

"**You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it?**

"He really should've gone there," muttered Bill. Even though that statement, or something really similar, had been made in the room already, he said it again to emphasize his point.**  
**

** 'Professor,' yes, of course — well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!"**

"You wants to bet that he somehow cast a memory charm on them?" asked Charlie darkly. No one took him up, but all were certain that had to be what had happened.**  
**

"**I am not from the asylum," said Dumbledore patiently. "I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you —"**

"**I'd like to see them try," sneered Riddle.**

"And no one has ever been able to force him to do anything," Sirius muttered.**  
**

"**Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, as though he had not heard Riddle's last words, "is a school for people with special abilities —"**

"**I'm not mad!"**

"Yes you are!" said little Ron. "In the bad way."**  
**

"**I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic."**

**There was silence. Riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore's, as though trying to catch one of them lying.**

"Do you think he could've already started working on Legilimency?" wondered Bill.

"I doubt it, but perhaps he could tell when people were lying," Arthur answered. He looked to Dumbledore for confirmation, but the Headmaster said nothing.

"**Magic?" he repeated in a whisper.**

"**That's right," said Dumbledore.**

"**It's… it's magic, what I can do?"**

"So, he had already realized his ability," murmured _Ginny_. Even though she had already known this, it made it seem more real when the one it was about actually said it.**  
**

"**What is it that you can do?"**

"**All sorts," breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. "I can make filings move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."**

"So that was always in him," growled Sirius. "And what was that about people not being born evil?"**  
**

"I think it had to be his circumstances in which he grew up," answered _Harry_ quietly. "Different people react to hard circumstances in different ways."

**His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer.**

"**I knew I was different," he whispered to his own quivering fingers. "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."**

"**Well, you were quite right," said Dumbledore, who was no longer smiling, but watching Riddle intently. "You are a wizard."**

**Riddle lifted his head. His face was transfigured: There was a wild happiness upon it, yet for some reason it did not make him better looking; on the contrary, his finely carved features seemed somehow rougher, his expression almost bestial.**

"**Are you a wizard too?"**

"**Yes, I am."**

"**Prove it," said Riddle at once,**

_Hermione_ winced slightly. She had acted like that when McGonagall had arrived.

"What's wrong?" asked Molly gently.

"I acted somewhat like that," _Hermione_ explained. "I thought that being a witch was illogical, that there wasn't such a thing as it, but at the same time, I felt that it explained all the strange events that occurred. I didn't believe it though until McGonagall levitated a few objects and turned into her Animagus form."**  
**

"That is quite normal, _Hermione_," assured Tonks. "Dad didn't believe it until McGonagall levitated him."

** in the same commanding tone he had used when he had said, "Tell the truth."**

**Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "If, as I take it, you are accepting your place at Hogwarts —"**

"**Of course I am!"**

"**Then you will address me as 'Professor' or 'sir.'"**

**Riddle's expression hardened for the most fleeting moment before he said, in an unrecognizably polite voice, "I'm sorry, sir. I meant — please, Professor, **

"That sounds so strange coming out of Voldemort's mouth," said Sirius with a shake of his head.**  
**

**could you show me —?"**

**Harry was sure that Dumbledore was going to refuse, that he would tell Riddle there would be plenty of time for practical demonstrations at Hogwarts, that they were currently in a building full of Muggles and must therefore be cautious. To his great surprise, however, Dumbledore drew his wand from an inside pocket of his suit jacket, pointed it at the shabby wardrobe in the corner, and gave the wand a casual flick.**

**The wardrobe burst into flames.**

"Now zat is one way of getting someone's attention," said Fleur.**  
**

**Riddle jumped to his feet; Harry could hardly blame him for howling in shock and rage; all his worldly possessions must be in there. But even as Riddle rounded on Dumbledore, the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe completely undamaged.**

"And the beauty of magical fire," said Bill. "It looks normal and even gives off heat, but it doesn't destroy stuff."

"Except for Fiendfyre," Charlie pointed out before turning back to the book.**  
**

**Riddle stared from the wardrobe to Dumbledore; then, his expression greedy, he pointed at the wand. "Where can I get one of them?"**

"**All in good time," said Dumbledore. "I think there is something trying to get out of your wardrobe."**

**And sure enough, a faint rattling could be heard from inside it. For the first time, Riddle looked frightened.**

"And thus starts the 'only one he ever feared' phase," said Sirius.**  
**

"Though can't it be argued that he's scared of Harry as well?" wondered Percy.

"**Open the door," said Dumbledore.**

**Riddle hesitated, then crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small cardboard box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside it.**

"What did you do?" asked little Ron.

Dumbledore paused for a brief moment before saying, "I had suspected that Riddle might have taken things that weren't his. The spell showed me that was true was well as confirming the magical world to him."**  
**

"**Take it out," said Dumbledore.**

**Riddle took down the quaking box. He looked unnerved.**

"**Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?" asked Dumbledore.**

**Riddle threw Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look. "Yes, I suppose so, sir," he said finally, in an expressionless voice.**

"**Open it," said Dumbledore.**

**Riddle took off the lid and tipped the contents onto his bed without looking at them. Harry, who had expected something much more exciting, saw a mess of small, everyday objects: a yo-yo, a silver thimble, and a tarnished mouth organ among them.**

"Those all seem fairly useless," said little Ron. "Who's want things like that?"

"Someone who doesn't have anything," little Harry replied. All of those items would've sounded wonderful to him mere days ago, but now that he was here, he knew that he wouldn't have to wish for small, everyday toys anymore.**  
**

"Oh, sorry," little Ron apologized quickly, having briefly forgotten that items like that might've interested little Harry at one point.

** Once free of the box, they stopped quivering and lay quite still upon the thin blankets.**

"**You will return them to their owners with your apologies," said Dumbledore calmly, putting his wand back into his jacket. "I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts."**

**Riddle did not look remotely abashed; he was still staring coldly and appraisingly at Dumbledore. At last he said in a colorless voice, "Yes, sir."**

"**At Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, "we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have — inadvertently, I am sure — been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic — yes, there is a Ministry — will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws."**

"**Yes, sir," said Riddle again.**

**It was impossible to tell what he was thinking; his face remained quite blank as he put the little cache of stolen objects back into the cardboard box. When he had finished, he turned to Dumbledore and said baldly, "I haven't got any money."**

"**That is easily remedied," said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket. "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spellbooks and so on secondhand, but —"**

Arthur and Molly shifted awkwardly. Dumbledore had told them that they could use some of the money from the fund, but they had refused. At times Arthur had wondered if he should have taken Dumbledore up on the offer, but he hated accepting money from anyone, but perhaps he should have done it for the sake of his children. That was something he'd have to consider.**  
**

"**Where do you buy spellbooks?" interrupted Riddle, who had taken the heavy money bag without thanking Dumbledore, and was now examining a fat gold Galleon.**

"**In Diagon Alley," said Dumbledore. "I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything —"**

"**You're coming with me?" asked Riddle, looking up.**

"**Certainly, if you —"**

"**I don't need you," said Riddle. "I'm used to doing things for myself, I go round London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley — sir?" he added, catching Dumbledore's eye.**

**Harry thought that Dumbledore would insist upon accompanying Riddle, but once again he was surprised. **

"He was quite an independent young lad," said Dumbledore. "And I already had the feeling that it was not a good idea to anger him."**  
**

**Dumbledore handed Riddle the envelope containing his list of equipment, and after telling Riddle exactly how to get to the Leaky Cauldron from the orphanage, he said, "You will be able to see it, although Muggles around you — non-magical people, that is — will not. Ask for Tom the barman — easy enough to remember, as he shares your name —"**

**Riddle gave an irritable twitch, as though trying to displace an irksome fly.**

"And naturally he want's to be different," muttered Sirius.

"Couldn't he have gone by his middle name?" wondered Charlie. "It's certainly strange enough."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't sound as scary as Voldemort," Bill replied.**  
**

"**You dislike the name 'Tom'?"**

"**There are a lot of Toms," muttered Riddle. Then, as though he could not suppress the question, as though it burst from him in spite of himself, he asked, "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they've told me."**

"**I'm afraid I don't know," said Dumbledore, his voice gentle.**

"I hadn't done all of my research about his family at this point," Dumbledore said in explanation.**  
**

"**My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died," said Riddle, more to himself than Dumbledore. **

"Did he honestly think that wizards are immortal?" asked Tonks in shock.

"I think so," said Sirius. "And he managed to achieve it, but in a way that can be defeated."

**"It must've been him. So — when I've got all my stuff — when do I come to this Hogwarts?"**

"**All the details are on the second piece of parchment in your envelope," said Dumbledore. "You will leave from King's Cross Station on the first of September. There is a train ticket in there too."**

**Riddle nodded. Dumbledore got to his feet and held out his hand again. Taking it, Riddle said, "I can speak to snakes. I found out when we've been to the country on trips — they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?"**

**Harry could tell that he had withheld mention of this strangest power until that moment, determined to impress.**

"**It is unusual," said Dumbledore, after a moment's hesitation, "but not unheard of."**

"Was that when you began to suspect that Voldemort was the heir of Slytheirn?" asked Bill.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, as the only known Parselmouths, with the exception of Harry, are descended from Slytherin, I supposed that he had to be somehow related to the founder."**  
**

**His tone was casual but his eyes moved curiously over Riddle's face. They stood for a moment, man and boy, staring at each other. Then the handshake was broken; Dumbledore was at the door.**

"**Good-bye, Tom. I shall see you at Hogwarts."**

"**I think that will do," said the white-haired Dumbledore at Harry's side, and seconds later, they were soaring weightlessly through darkness once more, before landing squarely in the present-day office.**

"**Sit down," said Dumbledore, landing beside Harry.**

**Harry obeyed, his mind still full of what he had just seen.**

"It was really confusing, even more so than than the last memory," _Harry_ added.**  
**

"**He believed it much quicker than I did — I mean, when you told him he was a wizard," said Harry. "I didn't believe Hagrid at first, when he told me."**

"**Yes, Riddle was perfectly ready to believe that he was — to use his word — 'special,'" said Dumbledore.**

"**Did you know — then?" asked Harry.**

"**Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?" said Dumbledore. "No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already, I felt I ought to do for others' sake as much as his.**

"Good thing you did, because otherwise stuff could've gotten worse faster," said _Harry_.**  
**

"**His powers, as you heard, were surprisingly well-developed for such a young wizard and — most interestingly and ominously of all — he had already discovered that he had some measure of control over them, and begun to use them consciously. And as you saw, they were not the random experiments typical of young wizards: He was already using magic against other people, to frighten, to punish, to control. The little stories of the strangled rabbit and the young boy and girl he lured into a cave were most suggestive… 'I can make them hurt if I want to… '"**

"Only someone truly evil could do such acts at such a young age," Molly said darkly. She normally was a compassionate person, but definitely not when it came to You-Know-Who.**  
**

"**And he was a Parselmouth," interjected Harry.**

"**Yes, indeed; a rare ability, and one supposedly connected with the Dark Arts, although as we know, there are Parselmouths among the great and the good too. In fact, his ability to speak to serpents did not make me nearly as uneasy as his obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy, and domination.**

"**Time is making fools of us again," said Dumbledore, indicating the dark sky beyond the windows. "But before we part, I want to draw your attention to certain features of the scene we have just witnessed, for they have a great bearing on the matters we shall be discussing in future meetings.**

"At least 'e's telling you what ees eemportant," said Fleur. It was always very good to know what the most important parts of anything were. It simply helped you in life.**  
**

"**Firstly, I hope you noticed Riddle's reaction when I mentioned that another shared his first name, 'Tom'?"**

**Harry nodded.**

"**There he showed his contempt for anything that tied him to other people, anything that made him ordinary. Even then, he wished to be different, separate, notorious. He shed his name, as you know, within a few short years of that conversation and created the mask of 'Lord Voldemort' behind which he has been hidden for so long.**

"And so many people actually think it's his name," added Tonks. "I mean, I knew he had to have some other name, but I had no clue what it was until it was announced in the books."**  
**

"**I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive, and, apparently, friendless? He did not want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same. You will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I believe that he has ever wanted one.**

"Friends are one of the great things someone can have in life," said _Ginny_ firmly. "They can help you do anything and are with you forever."**  
**

"Very well said, _Ginny_," said Arthur. "And that is correct when it comes to true friends, friends for life."

"**And lastly — I hope you are not too sleepy to pay attention to this, Harry — the young Tom Riddle liked to collect trophies. You saw the box of stolen articles he had hidden in his room. These were taken from victims of his bullying behavior, souvenirs, if you will, of particularly unpleasant bits of magic. Bear in mind this magpie-like tendency, for this, particularly, will be important later.**

"What, collecting, odd, random items?" wondered Percy, but he didn't get an answer as practically everyone was thinking the same thing.**  
**

"**And now, it really is time for bed."**

**Harry got to his feet. As he walked across the room, his eyes fell I upon the little table on which Marvolo Gaunt's ring had rested last I time, but the ring was no longer there.**

"What happened to it?" asked Molly.

"You will find out," said Harry for the umpteenth time. He was getting tired of saying that, but it was true and he didn't know how else to say it.**  
**

"**Yes, Harry?" said Dumbledore, for Harry had come to a halt.**

"**The ring's gone," said Harry, looking around. "But I thought I you might have the mouth organ or something."**

**Dumbledore beamed at him, peering over the top of his half moon spectacles.**

"**Very astute, Harry, but the mouth organ was only ever a mouth organ."**

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Charlie.**  
**

"It might have something to do with the ring," said Remus. "Perhaps the ring is more than a ring."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius. "How can a ring be anything other than a ring?"

"A lot of things," muttered _Harry_. Besides being a Horcrux, that ring had also been a Hallow.

"I'm dreading finding what the ring is then," said Remus with a glance at _Harry_.

**And on that enigmatic note he waved to Harry, who understood himself to be dismissed.**

"Well, that's it," said Charlie. "Who's reading next?"**  
**

"I am," said Percy and he took the book.

This chapter had been interesting for all parties. They had discovered more about Riddle's childhood and had had a glimpse on how he had become the person he ended up as.

* * *

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review. I would guess that you're somewhere around fourteen or fifteen.**_

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review. I enjoy providing tidbits about the future as it also helps me work out afterwards fics for both this series and the regular HP series.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I'm not certain what you mean by the "You'll see" sentences, unless you mean all the times Harry has said it.**_

_**Furionknight: Thanks.**_


	15. Felix Felicis

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_I hope I got the reactions all right as this chapter was rather difficult. I don't know if it makes it easier or harder to write reactions to romantic scenes when the characters involved are present and married or when it simply teenagers. I would assume both to be rather hard.  
_**

**_Sorry for the long wait, but I had a fairly large paper due yesterday. The school year is now pretty much done. I only have a few small papers to write and work on my Don Pedro lines for Much Ado About Nothing, but other than that, I'm finished. Hopefully this means more frequent updates.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. _**

"Hmm, this should be interesting," Percy mused as he turned the page.

**Felix Felicis**

"Do you use the potion?" asked Sirius eagerly. He was curious to see how his godson would use it. Would Harry use it to ensure a prank would go off perfectly, or something different? Perhaps even to get _Ginny's_ attention? That might be a better way than a love potion, but he had a gut feeling that his godson wouldn't allow potions to interfere with love. Also, _Harry_ wasn't a prankster, so unless he suddenly decided to be one, there had to be some other reason for _Harry_ to use the potion, but what?

"Sort of," _Harry_ said slowly. It was somewhat truthful. _Ron_ and _Hermione_ had thought he had used the potion, and he had handled it to ensure those suspicions.

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" asked Remus. "Either you used it or you didn't."

"You'll see," muttered _Harry_. There indeed was a 'sort of' and that was pretending to use the potion.

"Not everything is always black and white," said Bill matter-of-factually . "Yes, some things are, but oftentimes there are shades of grey."

Little Harry looked at Bill in confusion, but didn't say anything. Remus saw the look on little Harry's face and said, "Bill means that sometimes there can be a middle ground with certain actions."

"So, if you did a wrong thing to save someone's life?" asked Charlie, with a glance at _Harry_ and _Hermione _as they had disobeyed the law to save Sirius.

"That can be considered the middle ground," agreed Bill.

"Or pretended to do something wrong to make someone more confident," _Hermione_ muttered, but was stopped from further ramblings by glances from _Harry_, _Ron_, and _Ginny_.

"What did you say?" asked Molly.

"You'll find out," answered the four time travelers at once.

**Harry had Herbology first thing the following morning. He had been unable to tell Ron and Hermione about his lesson with Dumbledore over breakfast for fear of being over-heard, but he filled them in as they walked across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. The weekend's brutal wind had died out at last; the weird mist had returned and it took them a little longer than usual to find the correct greenhouse.**

"Shouldn't you know your way around Hogwarts by sixth year?" asked Percy.

"Everything always looks different in mist," said Bill. "Even though I know my way around, you can still sort of get lost outside in misty weather."**  
**

"**Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Ron quietly, **

**as they took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this terms project, and began pulling on their protective gloves. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"**

"Learning about the past can help you learn how to do things in the future," said little Hermione. "If you know about someone's childhood, you're bound to know their weaknesses, and in this case, if Harry can learn about Voldemort's weaknesses, it will help him to defeat him."**  
**

"**Dunno," said Harry, inserting a gum shield. "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."**

"Bloody good thing that you knew that kind of stuff," muttered Ron.

"**I think it's fascinating," said Hermione earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"**

"**So how was Slughorn's latest party?" Harry asked her thickly through the gum shield.**

"**Oh, it was quite fun, really," said Hermione, now putting on protective goggles. "I mean, he drones on about famous exploits a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggen because he's so well connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones."**

"Gwenog Jones?" cried little Ginny, nearly jumping up in from her seat. "The Gwenog Jones? The Beater for the Holyhead Harpies?"

All of the other Weasley children and Tonks were staring at the book in shock. Luna looked mildly interested and Neville just shrugged. He didn't care too much for Quidditch.

"Who's Gwenog Jones?" asked Sirius, getting several horrified glances.

"She's a fairly new Quidditch player," said Bill, "but is really good. As Ginny, said, she's one of the Beaters for the Holyhead Harpies."

"Oh," said Sirius in understanding. He really needed to catch up on what had happened in the wizarding world, but especially in the Quidditch field.

Percy smiled before he read the next line.

"**Gwenog Jones?" said Ron, his eyes widening under his own goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"**

"She becomes captain?" screeched little Ginny in amazement.

"Ginny, calm down," said Molly gently. "She's just a person."

"No!" said little Ginny. "She's Gwenog Jones, one of the greatest Beaters ever and she'll be the captain!"

"I thought Beaters generally weren't captains," said Percy in confusion.

"Normally they aren't," said Charlie, "because the two Beaters always work together. It's easiest if the Captain can be a team member who can work with everyone fairly easily, hence, most captains are either Seekers or Keepers, but Chasers are fairly common to have that position as well."

"Oh," said Percy. "You know, you didn't have to explain it in that much detail."

"But the detail is what makes it interesting," Charlie retorted.

"**That's right," said Hermione. "Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but —"**

"She's a professional Quidditch player!" said little Ron, "that would happen."

**"Quite enough chat over here!" said Professor Sprout briskly, bustling over and looking stern. "You're lagging behind, everybody else has started, and Neville's already got his first pod!"**

Neville couldn't help grinning. Even at seven, he excelled at anything that had to do with plants. He was certain that currently he'd not be able to handle Snargaluffs as they could get rather nasty, but it was nice to know that's he'd be the first to do it eventually.**  
**

**They looked around; sure enough, there sat Neville with a bloody lip and several nasty scratches along the side of his face, but clutching an unpleasantly pulsating green object about the size of a grapefruit.**

Neville grinned. He was pleased that he shined in Herbology, even though he didn't do well in his other classes. Oh well, he didn't want to use Transfiguration later in life anyway. He also wondered if he'd be able to brew potions if Snape wasn't in the room. Herbology and Potions were quite similar.

"**Okay, Professor, we're starting now!" said Ron, adding quietly, when she had turned away again, "should've used Muffliato, Harry."**

"**No, we shouldn't!" said Hermione at once, looking, as she always did, intensely cross at the thought of the Half-Blood Prince and his spells. "Well, come on… we'd better get going…"**

**She gave the other two an apprehensive look; they all took deep breaths and then dived at the gnarled stump between them.**

**It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramblelike vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air. One tangled itself in Hermione's hair, and Ron beat it back with a pair of secateurs; Harry succeeded in trapping a couple of vines and knotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of all the tentaclelike branches; Hermione plunged her arm bravely into this hole, which closed like a trap around her elbow; Harry and Ron tugged and wrenched at the vines, forcing the hole to open again, and Hermione snatched her arm free, clutching in her fingers a pod just like Neville's. At once, the prickly vines shot back inside, and the gnarled stump sat there looking like an innocently dead lump of wood.**

"And that's why plants are interesting," said Neville calmly.

"At least for magical ones," said little Hermione. "The little bit I've learned about plants is interesting, but not at all exciting. Magical plants sound like they're both interesting and exciting."

"As long as you're not whacked in the head by the Whomping Willow," said _Ron_.**  
**

"**You know, I don't think I'll be having any of these in my garden when I've got my own place," said Ron, pushing his goggles up onto his forehead and wiping sweat from his face.**

"They're good for the garden though," pointed out Neville.

"And an excellent weapon," muttered _Harry_, remembering how they had been used in the final battle.

"You can use them as weapons?" asked Bill in surprise.

"That makes sense," said Neville. "They certainly have a violent attitude. I suppose if you threw them, they'd take their revenge out on whoever was closest to them."**  
**

"Hmm, never thought of that," Bill mused.

"Most things can be used as a weapon of some sort," said _Hermione_. "One just has to figure out how to use it."

"**Pass me a bowl," said Hermione, holding the pulsating pod at arm's length; Harry handed one over and she dropped the pod into it with a look of disgust on her face.**

"It was disgusting trying to get them out," said _Hermione_.**  
**

"**Don't be squeamish, squeeze it out, they're best when they're fresh!" called Professor Sprout.**

"**Anyway," said Hermione, continuing their interrupted conversation as though a lump of wood had not just attacked them, "Slughorn's going to have a Christmas party, Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come."**

"Well, it could be worse," said Sirius. "The Christmas one was the only bearable one."

"Because he allowed members to invite people, so you could bring Hestia," said Remus.

"And you got to come as well," Sirius pointed out. "Lily was already a member, so there went James' date."

"Are you saying that I was his second choice?" asked Remus, though he had already known that.

"Not exactly," Sirius said slowly, "but hey, you were able to come."

"And help you wreck havoc," Remus muttered. "What was it that you and James did in sixth year?"

Sirius furrowed his brow in thought. His memories of pranks were starting to come back, though they weren't always very clear. "I think that was the year when we managed to replace his crystallized pineapple with tuna."

"How could you do that?" asked little Hermione. "They don't look anything alike."

"Transfiguration," said Sirius simply. "James and I transfigured several pieces of tuna into crystallized pineapple, but we kept the tuna taste. His face when he bit into a piece was hilarious."

"Imagine picking up a piece of something tasty and suddenly getting a disgusting flavour in your mouth," said Remus for clarification. "Slughorn was so mad at James and Sirius, but he eventually saw the funny side. Didn't quite help the already tense relationship though."

"And we still didn't get kicked out," Sirius muttered.

"Wait, you were trying to get kicked out of the Slug Club?" asked Percy in surprise. The Slug Club sounded interesting despite everything that Sirius, Remus, and the time travelers had been saying, in fact, the only thing that seemed overly bad was the fact that it was extremely exclusive. Either you had to do something amazing in front of Slughorn or you needed to have excellent connections and not be an idiot.

"Who wouldn't want to get kicked out?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Malfoy?" suggested Fred.

"Malfoy isn't a member, idiot," said George, cuffing his twin on the head.******  
**

"Oi!"

"I cannot believe that you guys managed to escape expulsion," said _Harry_ with a shake of his head. He was learning more and more about the Marauders and they were wilder than he had thought. James better not take after his namesakes in that manner.

"Oh, Minnie had a special place in her heart for us," Sirius assured.

"And you four were quite entertaining to watch," added Dumbledore.

"Why thank you," said Sirius, but his comment was a bit on the stiff side. He was still extremely mad at Dumbledore for what he had done, and Sirius was certain that he'd always be mad, or at the very least, annoyed with the Headmaster.

**Harry groaned. Meanwhile, Ron, who was attempting to burst the pod in the bowl by putting both hands on it, standing up, and squashing it as hard as he could, said angrily, "And this is another party just for Slughorn's favorites, is it?"**

**"Just for the Slug Club, yes," said Hermione.**

"I still don't get it why it had to have that stupid of a name," muttered Sirius.**  
**

"Because everything has to be named after Slughorn," said Luna.

**The pod flew out from under Ron's fingers and hit the green house glass, rebounding onto the back of Professor Sprout's head and knocking off her old, patched hat. Harry went to retrieve the pod; when he got back, Hermione was saying, "Look, I didn't make up the name 'Slug Club' —"**

"'**Slug Club,'" repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. **

"Don't compare me with that git!" cried little Ron.**  
**

**"It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug —"**

Sirius and Remus exchanged a very embarrassed glance.

"What did you two do?" asked _Ron_, though he briefly wondered if he even wanted to know.

"Uh, you tell, Moony," said Sirius quickly.

Remus glared at Sirius for a few seconds, before beginning the story.

"So, this took place at the Christmas party, hence my involvement. Now, Sirius and I had decided that mischief was needed at this party. It wouldn't do for James to be seen doing anything as he had become Head Boy and had also started dating Lily. We had been working on human transfiguration in class recently and decided that a party was just the right place for it. Now, to put a rather long story short, we figured that we should take the name of the club literally, namely, turn various people into slugs. Sirius thought that everyone should be turned into slugs, but I disagreed. I thought that we should only change James and Lily, and that's what ended up happening.

"Mid-way through the party, Sirius and I both cast the spell to transform them and once they were in slug form, I quickly conjured up two crowns and levitated them onto their heads. It was at this point that people noticed what had happened. Very discreetly, we reversed the spells, but left the crowns alone. We never got caught, but Minerva suspected that at least some of us had been involved and, well, let's just say we got our ears yelled off by the Head Girl and got told off by a rather annoyed, yet amused Head Boy."**  
**

"I can see why Dad and Mum wouldn't be very happy about suddenly getting turned into slugs," _Harry_ winced. Thankfully no-one had decided to do that kind of prank during his years.

"_Harry_, I swear, if James begins to show even the slightest signs of taking after both namesakes, I will change his name," declared _Ginny_, but she never would do something like that.

"_Gin_!" cried _Harry_, "you better be joking."

"Of course I am," _Ginny_ answered, "but I'm going to make certain you'll be the one dealing with the aftermath of explosions in the kitchen or whatever accidents he ends up causing."

"Oi!"

"**We're allowed to bring guests," said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, "and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"**

"Yes!" said Molly, thankful that her son and _Hermione_ would soon be getting together.

"You don't think …" _Ron_ suddenly said.

"Probably …" _Hermione_ muttered. Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be happy when she found out how close they had come to getting together, but had still taken another year-and-a-half.

"Oh, that," _Ginny_ winced. "You guys might want to put a shield charm around yourselves. _Harry_, maybe we should do the same."

"Why?" asked Remus.

"Let's just say that several people will probably want to hex the four of us for various reasons," _Harry_ said. He knew that they had all acted like idiots at this point in time and he wished that there was a simpler explanation, but then, love never was simple.**  
**

"Do I even want to know what's going to happen?" asked Sirius.

"Not really," said _Harry_. "We were really acting like normal teenagers if that will help you."

"Do you kiss someone?" asked Sirius suddenly.

"Wha-? No!" cried _Harry_ in surprise. He had had the urge to kiss _Ginny_, but it hadn't happened. _Oh, Merlin! Ginny was going to find out about his thoughts over her and Dean's relationship. Well, he better prepare himself for a bat-boogey hex._

Sirius eyed his godson in suspicion. Something awkward happened in this chapter and it was probably something that none of the time travelers wanted anyone else to know.

_Ron_ decided to take his sister's advice and quickly erected a shield charm around himself and _Hermione_.

She looked at him in confusion for a few moments, but shook her head slowly. _What Weasley in their right mind would hex someone holding a baby? Well, were any of the Weasleys actually in their right minds?_ That was something to think about, but probably not at this moment.

**Harry suddenly wished the pod had flown a little farther, so that he need not have been sitting here with the pair of them. Unnoticed by either, he seized the bowl that contained the pod and began to try and open it by the noisiest and most energetic means he could think of; unfortunately, he could still hear every word of their conversation.**

"You heard it?" asked _Hermione_ as both she and_ Ron_ turned red.

"Uh, yeah," _Harry_ admitted in a low tone.**  
**

"Oh great," muttered _Ron_. He knew _Harry_ had seen him acting even more like an idiot than this incident, but he had really botched things up here. If he hadn't been so stupid, perhaps he and _Hermione_ would've started to date sooner, though he had to admit that their first kiss was very unique.

"**You were going to ask me?" asked Ron, in a completely different voice.**

"**Yes," said Hermione angrily. "But obviously if you'd rather I hooked up with McLaggen…"**

**There was a pause while Harry continued to pound the resilient pod with a trowel.**

"'**No, I wouldn't,'" said Ron, in a very quiet voice.**

**Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it.**

"And _Ron_ declares his love," _Harry_ muttered under his breath. He wondered what would have happened if his two friends hadn't been idiots and had gotten together in sixth year. At any rate, things would have been less awkward, especially during their camping trip.**  
**

"So, do you two start dating anytime soon?" asked Molly, with a look at _Ron_ and _Hermione_.

"Not really," _Hermione_ admitted. "There were some issues first."

"In the disguise of McLaggen and Lav," muttered _Ron_ angrily.

"What do you mean?" asked Remus worriedly. "What happens?"

"You'll find out, mainly in this chapter, but I think the other information would be in the next one," _Harry_ explained.

"**Reparo," he said hastily, poking the pieces with his wand, and the bowl sprang back together again. The crash, however, appeared to have awoken Ron and Hermione to Harry's presence. Hermione looked flustered and immediately started fussing about for her copy of _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_ to find out the correct way to juice Snargaluff pods; Ron, on the other hand, looked sheepish but also rather pleased with himself.**

"I had finally realized I loved _Hermione_," _Ron_ murmured and thankfully no one but his wife heard him. _Hermione_ smiled and kissed him on the cheek.**  
**

"**Hand that over, Harry," said Hermione hurriedly. "It says we're supposed to puncture them with something sharp…"**

**Harry passed her the pod in the bowl; he and Ron both snapped their goggles back over their eyes and dived, once more, for the stump. It was not as though he was really surprised, thought Harry, as he wrestled with a thorny vine intent upon throttling him; he had had an inkling that this might happen sooner or later. But he was not sure how he felt about it… **

"Did I ever mention that you two are almost exactly like Benedict and Beatrice?" asked _Harry_.

"I don't think you did," said _Hermione_ slowly. She knew where this conversation would go and was somewhat worried about it.

"Huh?" asked _Ron_.

"Benedict and Beatrice, the two lovers from _Much Ado About Nothing_," said _Hermione_. "You know, the lovers you didn't realize they loved each other?"**  
**

"Oh," said _Ron_. Suddenly he realized that he had probably just been insulted. "OI!" he cried. "_Harry_!"

"_Ron_, you've got to admit, that you two really acted like them," said _Harry_ quickly.

_Ron_ glared at his best friend, but didn't say anything. He knew _Harry_ was probably right, and come to think of it, he and _Hermione_ had acted like Benedict and Beatrice.

Both little Ron and little Hermione looked somewhat awkward, little Hermione more-so because she knew the context of _Harry's_ theory as she had seen _Much Ado_ performed. Neither of them were ready to hear about their future love lives.

Little Ron was just plain confused. He loved Hermione? That was just wrong. He was too little.

**He and Cho were now too embarrassed to look at each other, let alone talk to each other; what if Ron and Hermione started going out together, then split up? Could their friendship survive it? Harry remembered the few weeks when they had not been talking to each other in the third year; he had not enjoyed trying to bridge the distance between them. **

**And then, what if they didn't split up? What if they became like Bill and Fleur,**

"Like us 'ow?" asked Fleur accusingly. Bill too glanced in _Harry's_ direction.

"Uh, just being an engaged couple I guess," said _Harry_. Now that he was married, he understood what Bill and Fleur had been like and knew that he had done very similar things.**  
**

** and it became excruciatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good?**

"That would never happen," _Ron_ assured. "You're my best friend for heavens sakes!"**  
**

"True, but once people fall in love, you never know what they're going to do," _Harry_ pointed out.

"**Gotcha!" yelled Ron, pulling a second pod from the stump just as Hermione managed to burst the first one open, so that the bowl was full of tubers wriggling like pale green worms.**

**The rest of the lesson passed without further mention of Slughorn's party. Although Harry watched his two friends more closely over the next few days, Ron and Hermione did not seem any different except that they were a little politer to each other than usual. Harry supposed he would just have to wait to see what happened under the influence of butterbeer in Slughorn's dimly lit room on the night of the party. **

"What would've happened?" murmured _Ron._

**In the meantime, however, he had more pressing worries.**

"What's more worrisome than the fact that your two best friends are about to start dating?" asked Bill.**  
**

"You're younger sister dating your best friend?" suggested _Ron_.

"That could be true," Bill admitted.

"It goes against the code!" said Charlie.

"What code?" asked little Ginny.

"A friend doesn't date that friends sibling, be it brother or sister or younger or older," stated Charlie. "It simply isn't something done."

"Well, it happened," said _Ron_ with a grin, "and I'm glad it did."

**Katie Bell was still in St. Mungo's Hospital with no prospect of leaving,**

"Oh," said Charlie in understanding. That would pose a bit of a problem.**  
**

** which meant that the promising Gryffindor team Harry had been training so carefully since September was one Chaser short. **

"That sucks," said Charlie. "That's why you have a few reserve players."**  
**

"Well, we figured that out the hard way," said _Harry_. It had been a mess. Come to think of it, none of his team had every completely played together. Katie had been gone for a time, so Dean played, when Ron had been poisoned, McLaggen played, and when he had been gone, _Ginny_ played Seeker and Dean Chaser. And to top it off, they still managed to win the Quidditch Cup.

"But isn't it against the rules to have reserve players?" asked little Ginny.

"It's against the rules to switch out players during the game unless it goes longer than twelve hours," said Charlie. "As long as it's before the game, the Captain can substitute any of the players if necessary."

**He kept putting off replacing Katie in the hope that she would return, but their opening match against Slytherin was looming, and he finally had to accept that she would not be back in time to play.**

"Was she able to play eventually?" asked Charlie.

"Yes," _Harry_ answered, but he didn't elaborate. It had been nice that Katie was there at the end of the year, but he didn't want to announce it that she was gone for nearly the entire school year. In fact, she had had to repeat her seventh year to prepare her for her NEWTs, which had placed her in Hogwarts during the Carrows' tenure.**  
**

**Harry did not think he could stand another full-House tryout. With a sinking feeling that had little to do with Quidditch, he cornered Dean Thomas after Transfiguration one day.**

**Most of the class had already left, although several twittering yellow birds were still zooming around the room, all of Hermione's creation; nobody else had succeeded in conjuring so much as a feather from thin air.**

"Conjuring is quite difficult," Bill admitted. "It takes time to get the hang of it."**  
**

"Says the Transfiguration genius," muttered Charlie. If there was anything to look forward to about OWLs next year, it meant the end of Transfiguration. Even if he passed it, he wouldn't continue.

"**Are you still interested in playing Chaser?"**

"Wow, you have guts to ask to boyfriend of the girl you have a crush on to be on your team," said Sirius. "True Gryffindor."

"I hadn't even realized I liked Ginny," _Harry_ muttered under his breath before responding to his godfather's statement. "I simply needed a player and Dean was the next best person at try-outs."**  
**

"**Wha —? Yeah, of course!" said Dean excitedly. Over Dean's shoulder, Harry saw Seamus Finnegan slamming his books into his bag, looking sour. One of the reasons why Harry would have preferred not to have to ask Dean to play was that he knew Seamus would not like it. On the other hand, he had to do what was best for the team, and Dean had outflown Seamus at the tryouts.**

"And once again, various dorm-mates will be hating each other," muttered Tonks.

"I wouldn't say hate, but it could get a bit tense in there at points," _Harry_ admitted, but it had gotten a whole lot worse when the Lavender fiasco had started.**  
**

"**Well then, you're in," said Harry. "There's a practice tonight, seven o'clock."**

"**Right," said Dean. "Cheers, Harry! Blimey, I can't wait to tell Ginny!"**

"What did you think of it?" asked Bill.

"I was glad that he was on the team, but I didn't like the reason he was on the team, if you get what I mean," said _Ginny_. "Dean's a good player, but our team needed Katie."**  
**

**He sprinted out of the room, leaving Harry and Seamus alone together, an uncomfortable moment made no easier when a bird dropping landed on Seamus's head as one of Hermione's canaries whizzed over them.**

**Seamus was not the only person disgruntled by the choice of Katie's substitute. There was much muttering in the common room about the fact that Harry had now chosen two of his class-mates for the team. **

"They're simply the best!" said Charlie.

"I doubt very many people would agree," said Bill. "It may be true, but it might be regarded as favoritism."**  
**

"If they wanted to be considered, they should've worked harder at tryouts," said Tonks simply.

"That's what I wanted to tell everyone," _Harry_ muttered.

**As Harry had endured much worse mutterings than this in his school career, he was not particularly bothered, but all the same, the pressure was increasing to provide a win in the upcoming match against Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, Harry knew that the whole House would forget that they had criticized him and swear that they had always known it was a great team. If they lost… well, Harry thought wryly, he had still endured worse mutterings…**

"I think you're probably the only person to have nearly the entirety of Hogwarts all mad at you at once," said _Ginny_.

"And I think nearly everyone at Hogwarts has been mad at me at some point," said _Harry_. "I know you, _Ron_, and _Hermione_ all have been, so I have had the entirety of Hogwarts mad at me, but thankfully not all at the same time."

"Couldn't you have said that a simpler way?" wondered Tonks.**  
**

"I don't think so," said _Harry_. "I don't even think I fully understood what I just said, let alone try and figure out a simpler way of saying it."

"It's true though," answered _Hermione_ with a soft smile.

**Harry had no reason to regret his choice once he saw Dean fly that evening; he worked well with Ginny and Demelza. The Beaters, Peakes and Coote, were getting better all the time. The only problem was Ron.**

"Always me," muttered little Ron dejectedly. "Why am I even on the team?"**  
**

"Because you're an excellent keeper," said Charlie. "You simply need to get used to playing with people who aren't your family."

**Harry had known all along that Ron was an inconsistent player who suffered from nerves and a lack of confidence, and unfortunately, the looming prospect of the opening game of the season seemed to have brought out all his old insecurities.**

"_Ron_, your team won the Quidditch Cup last year," said Charlie. "I'd've thought that would've helped."

"Not really," admitted _Ron_, "but _Harry_ was able to knock some sense into me this game."

"In an inappropriate way," muttered _Hermione_. She wasn't exactly mad at _Harry_ for what he had done, _Ron_ had improved drastically at Quidditch because of it, but he could've at least told her what he had done and stopped her from getting mad at him.**  
**

"What did _Harry_ do?" groaned Remus.

"Something that you'll find out," said _Harry_ slowly. "It wasn't any worse than _Hermione_ confounding McLaggen."

"I don't now," said Hermione slowly, "if it wasn't worse, it definitely was even."

"Now I'm certain I don't want to know," Sirius muttered.

** After letting in half a dozen goals, most of them scored by Ginny,**

"Good ole sibling rivalry?" asked Tonks with a grin.

"Something like that," _Ginny_ admitted. She briefly wondered if she should've gone easier on _Ron_ since it was right before the match, but in the end it had been best that none of his teammates every went easy, especially her.**  
**

** his technique became wilder and wilder, until he finally punched an oncoming Demelza Robins in the mouth.**

"_Ron_! Do you know that there is such a thing as coordination!" said Tonks.

"Which is lacking in you," said Charlie with grin.

"That's beside the point!" retorted Tonks.**  
**

"**It was an accident, I'm sorry, Demelza, really sorry!" Ron shouted after her as she zigzagged back to the ground, dripping blood everywhere. "I just —"**

"**Panicked," Ginny said angrily, landing next to Demelza and examining her fat lip. "You prat, Ron, look at the state of her!"**

"_Ginny_!" Arthur scolded. "Don't call your brother names."**  
**

"Dad, this happened a long time ago," said _Ron_ quietly.

"**I can fix that," said Harry, landing beside the two girls, pointing his wand at Demelzas mouth, and saying "Episkey." "And Ginny, don't call Ron a prat, you're not the Captain of this team —"**

"And that doesn't mean you can call him a prat!" said Bill.**  
**

"**Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat and I thought someone should —"**

"_Ginevra_!"

"It's all right, Mum," said _Ron_. "I deserved it."**  
**

"Even if you had, she shouldn't have done it," said Molly.

**Harry forced himself not to laugh.**

"Thanks," _Ron_ muttered.**  
**

"**In the air, everyone, let's go…"**

**Overall it was one of the worst practices they had had all term, though Harry did not feel that honesty was the best policy when they were this close to the match.**

"Sometimes you have to lie to gain confidence," said Charlie simply. He knew that his Captain had done it a few times and he was pretty certain he'd have to do it if he still became Captain.**  
**

"**Good work, everyone, I think we'll flatten Slytherin," he said bracingly, and the Chasers and Beaters left the changing room looking reasonably happy with themselves.**

"I was merely putting on a facade," said _Ginny_. "I knew that it had been a horrible practice, but I didn't want you to know that I knew."**  
**

"Thanks," _Harry_ muttered.

"**I played like a sack of dragon dung," said Ron in a hollow voice when the door had swung shut behind Ginny.**

"No, for one, you don't flop -"

"And for another, you don't stink."**  
**

"Boys!" said Molly sternly.

"Relax, Mum, it's fine," said _Ron_ as he grinned in the twins' direction. He loved hearing their banters and he knew he'd miss it dreadfully when he went back to his time.

Molly stared at her son in surprise for a few moments, but didn't say anything. _Ron_ didn't mind the twins as much as his younger self did. Perhaps it could merely be because they all were older and more mature, but most likely there was a deeper reason.

"**No, you didn't," said Harry firmly. "You're the best Keeper I tried out, Ron. Your only problem is nerves."**

**He kept up a relentless flow of encouragement all the way back to the castle, and by the time they reached the second floor, Ron was looking marginally more cheerful. **

"And naturally Murphy's law will happen soon," muttered _Hermione_.

"Why does everything have to go wrong?" asked Neville.

"Because that's the way the world seems to work," answered little Hermione.

"It needn't work that way all the time," said Luna.**  
**

"That's how life often seems to work," said Arthur. "Thankfully it isn't always like that, but something is bound to go wrong quite often."

**When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual shortcut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, **

_Ginny's_ face immediately turned bright red. Of all the things that had to be in this chapter, it had to be that incident.

"_Gin_? _Gin_?," said _Harry_ quietly. He shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, it's fine."

"Why does Percy have to read it," muttered _Ginny_.

"What's wrong with me reading?" asked Percy, but then he looked down, gulped at the next line and his eyes grew extremely large. "Oh," he muttered. He quickly looked up and his eyes flashed briefly between the two Ginnys, before he finally read the next line.**  
**

**who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as though glued together.**

"What?" shouted several of those in the sitting room, though the loudest shouts came from Bill and Charlie.**  
**

Little Ginny looked terrified. She was only six and believed that all boys except for her brothers, Neville, and Harry Potter were icky. How she could be kissing a boy was beyond her. "Yuck!" she said, though her statement wasn't overly surprising considering her age, she still startled several people.

Molly and Arthur were staring at the book in shock. Their future daughter had dated before, but Molly had hoped that the relationship with Dean would end quickly and she'd begin going out with _Harry_, but if they had progressed to kissing … Well, she better break up with Dean quickly and get together with _Harry_. For Arthur it was the same, the sooner Ginny and Harry got together, the better.

Bill didn't know what to do. He wanted to throttle someone, but Dean wasn't here and he probably shouldn't throttle a seven-year-old for the actions of his sixteen-year-old self. He was struggling to keep his composure. This was a future event and his little sister was nearly an adult at this point. He shouldn't have a say in her actions, yet he wanted to play the role of the overprotective oldest brothers. That's what brothers were supposed to do, especially as their sisters got old enough to date.

Charlie was staring at his little sister. He never wanted her to grow up and start kissing boys! Well, yes, he knew she married Harry in the future, but that was when she was an adult. Here she was a teenager! Charlie completely forgot that he already had had a kiss. Well, he didn't forget, but pushed it to the back of his mind. This was his sister, not himself. She shouldn't be kissing at fifteen! Charlie glanced over at Bill and realized that his older brother was having very similar thoughts.

Percy didn't know quite what to think. Ginny would be fifteen at this point and that seemed to be an okay age to start dating. Granted, he was only eleven, so even the idea of dating disgusted him. But at the same time, something in him told him that he shouldn't let his little sister do something like that. Percy had no idea what he should think or do, so he simply sat there.

The twins were rather confused. Ginny was their little sister and she was kissing, but it was the future. At the same time, they had a strange feeling that they should stop this from ever happening, but neither of them knew exactly what they should do.

Little Ron also looked terrified at the very idea of his sister kissing someone. That was something that only Mum and Dad, and well, married couples did. Ginny was still little, and little people didn't kiss.

Little Hermione looked rather curious, but at the same time, not overly comfortable. She knew that couples who liked each other kissed, sometimes a lot, but she didn't really like being in the presence of a kissing couple. it was also disturbing because little Ginny was sitting next to her.

Luna could care less. "They must be infected with Nargles," she said quietly, before drifting back into her own mind.

Neville was pretty much unfazed. He didn't even know little Ginny that well. She was a girl and, well, he didn't really like playing with girls too much. He also didn't know much about kissing. Sure, his grandparents would do it on occasion, but other than that, it was unknown to him.

Remus and Sirius were quite confused. When did _Harry_ start dating _Ginny_? Of course, they had known that _Ginny_ had dated Dean as she had mentioned it, but still, _Harry_ needed to get his girl and soon. How much longer would it take for him to do so? Currently, he was taking after his father when it came to girls, but at least he was already friends with _Ginny_, which put him one stop ahead of his father.

Tonks looked mildly interested, but she was still fourteen and didn't really care about dating. She had only ever had a crush on one person, and he was quite a bit older than she was, so she was fairly certain she'd never get married. But it was still interesting to hear about other people dating, just not people several years younger than her. Well, this was the future Ginny, who in the book was currently older than herself, so that made it completely different. Goodness, time travel made even simple things such as age extremely confusing.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, but he wondered if he should do something about kissing in corridors. Now, in this case, it had been a deserted corridor, but then, people had entered. Young people should be allowed to express their love, but not in a public place. Well, he would have to do something about that and in the meantime, he hoped that _Harry_ and _Ginny_ would soon get together.

Percy swallowed hard to regain his composure, then he began to read again.

**It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides: Hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx Dean into a jelly. **

"Do it," said Bill through gritted teeth.**  
**

"Was that when you realized you liked _Ginny_?" asked Arthur.

"It was around this time," _Harry_ admitted.

_Ginny_ was staring at _Harry_ in shock. "You actually felt like that?" she asked in surprise.

"Uh, yeah," Harry said slowly, wondering where this was going to go and if he'd get into trouble.

**Wrestling with this sudden madness, he heard Ron's voice as though from a great distance away.**

"**Oy!"**

**Dean and Ginny broke apart and looked around. "What?" said Ginny.**

"**I don't want to find my own sister snogging people in public!"**

"You certainly had to eat your words later that day," said _Ginny_.

"Yeah, and I regret it wholeheartedly," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"So you snogged in public too?" said Bill. "I hope it was Hermione."

_Ron_ winced. He wished it had been Hermione with whom he had shared his first kiss.

"**This was a deserted corridor till you came butting in!" said Ginny.**

"But it's a corridor," stated Tonks. "Really, if you're going to snog, do it in a broom-cupboard or a bathroom, somewhere where you'd have more privacy."**  
**

"Don't give my sister snogging advise!" cried Charlie.

"What?" asked Tonks. "That's what you said is the correct way to snog.

"Nymphadora!"

"Uh oh," winced Sirius, wondering how this would play out. It had been bad enough if someone had called Tonks 'Nymphadora' when she was a child, but no it was apt to be quite dangerous to do so. He wasn't to be disappointed.

Tonks whipped out her wand and cast a full-body-bind, causing Charlie to fall off of the sofa. She then sent several stinging hexes his way. Before any more damage could be done, Remus swiftly disarmed her. Tonks was about to protest angrily that she wasn't finished, but when she saw who had disarmed her, she looked meekly away while Bill released his brother.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" asked Charlie as he rubbed various places on his body.

"You bloody well know!" Tonks retorted.

"Children, settle down," said Dumbledore quite calmly, but he was clearly amused.

Once the room had calmed down, and Molly had sent the infamous Weasley glare in Tonks' direction, Percy began to read again.

**Dean was looking embarrassed. He gave Harry a shifty grin that Harry did not return, as the newborn monster inside him was roaring for Dean's instant dismissal from the team.**

"**Er… c'mon, Ginny," said Dean, "let's go back to the common room…"**

"**You go!" said Ginny. "I want a word with my dear brother!" Dean left, looking as though he was not sorry to depart the scene.**

"Dating a Weasley girl is basically entering a war zone," said _Harry_. "There aren't very many of them and their brothers will murder anyone who hurts them."

"Did George say that?" asked _Ginny, _hints of both worry and amusement in her tone.

"The bit about the war zone," _Harry_ said. "I kind of inferred the rest."**  
**

"That is true," said _Ginny_ with a laugh. She had known that her brothers had been overly protective of her and she was curious to see how this would play out with the next generation, especially with Bill and _Ron_ as both of them had daughters.

"**Right," said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, "let's get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron —"**

"**Yeah, it is!" said Ron, just as angrily. "D' you think I want people saying my sister's a —"**

"_Ronald Bilius Weasley_!" cried Hermione in horror. "You better not have been about to say what I think you were going to say!"**  
**

"What were you going to say?" asked Arthur sternly.

"Uh…," said _Ron_, suddenly looking extremely uncomfortable. "Probably whatever _Hermione_ thinks I'm about to say."

"Whack him for me, will you _Harry_?" asked _Hermione_. Her arms were full with Rose, who was asleep yet again.

"Certainly," answered _Harry_.

"So, what did you think he was going to say?" asked _Ginny_ rather stiffly.

"Uh…," said _Hermione_, not exactly certain if she should say what she thought.

**"A what?" shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. "A what, exactly?"**

"**He doesn't mean anything, Ginny —" said Harry automatically, though the monster was roaring its approval of Ron's words.**

"What?" asked _Ginny_ as she stared at her husband.**  
**

"Uh, I guess I didn't want you dating anyone else," _Harry_ muttered rather awkwardly and embarrassingly.

"Oh, Harry," said _Ginny_ with a shake of her head.

"**Oh yes he does!" she said, flaring up at Harry. "Just because he's never snogged anyone in his life, just because the best kiss he's ever had is from our Auntie Muriel —"**

"_Ginevra_!"**  
**

"**Shut your mouth!" bellowed Ron, bypassing red and turning maroon.**

"**No, I will not!" yelled Ginny, beside herself. "I've seen you with Fleur,**

Percy hastily changed Phlegm to Fleur to avoid any extra bouts of anger. This chapter was already bad enough without getting one more female angry.**  
**

** hoping she'll kiss you on the cheek every time you see her, it's pathetic! If you went out and got a bit of snogging done your self, you wouldn't mind so much that everyone else does it!"**

**Ron had pulled out his wand too; Harry stepped swiftly between them.**

"Once again, are you brave or suicidal?" wondered Bill.

"I've been called both," said _Harry_.**  
**

"**You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron roared, trying to get a clear shot at Ginny around Harry, who was now standing in front of her with his arms outstretched. "Just because I don't do it in public —!"**

**Ginny screamed with derisive laughter, trying to push Harry out of the way.**

"**Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?"**

"That's enough, _Ginevra_!" said Molly sternly.

"Mum, this happened years ago," _Ginny_ said quickly. "It's all forgiven, though maybe not forgotten."

"I see what you mean by acting like normal teenagers," Sirius whispered in _Harry's_ ear, causing him to turn red.**  
**

"**You —"**

**A streak of orange light flew under Harry's left arm and missed Ginny by inches; Harry pushed Ron up against the wall.**

"**Don't be stupid —"**

"**Harry's snogged Cho Chang!" shouted Ginny, who sounded close to tears now. "And Hermione snogged Viktor Krum, it's only you who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's because you've got about as much experience as a twelve-year-old!"**

"I just wanted to be a protective older brother," _Ron_ said in his defense. "I was the only one still at Hogwarts and I was supposed to protect you."**  
**

"Ron, I understand," assured _Ginny_, "but that didn't mean you had to stick your nose into every corner of my life."

**And with that, she stormed away. Harry quickly let go of Ron; the look on his face was murderous. They both stood there, breathing heavily, until Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, appeared around the corner, which broke the tension.**

"**C'mon," said Harry, as the sound of Filch's shuffling feet reached their ears.**

**They hurried up the stairs and along a seventh-floor corridor. "Oy, out of the way!" Ron barked at a small girl who jumped in fright and dropped a bottle of toadspawn.**

"Ron!"

"_Harry_, will either you or _Hermione_ get yelled at?" wondered Tonks.

"Probably," said _Harry_ slowly. He knew that when everyone thought he had snuck Felix Felicis into _Ron's_ drink, he'd be in big trouble.**  
**

**Harry hardly noticed the sound of shattering glass; he felt disoriented, dizzy; being struck by a lightning bolt must be something like this. It's just because she's Ron's sister, he told himself. You just didn't like seeing her kissing Dean because she's Ron's sister…**

"Sorry, but that's not how it works unless you're a sibling," said Sirius.**  
**

**But unbidden into his mind came an image of that same deserted corridor with himself kissing Ginny instead… **

"Oh, Merlin, please, there better not be a description of that!" begged Charlie.

"Don't worry, there isn't," assured Percy.**  
**

**The monster in his chest purred… but then he saw Ron ripping open the tapestry curtain and drawing his wand on Harry, shouting things like "betrayal of trust"… "supposed to be my friend"…**

"**D'you think Hermione did snog Krum?" Ron asked abruptly, as they approached the Fat Lady. Harry gave a guilty start and wrenched his imagination away from a corridor in which no Ron intruded, in which he and Ginny were quite alone —**

"**What?" he said confusedly. "Oh… er…" The honest answer was "yes," but he did not want to give it. However, Ron seemed to gather the worst from the look on Harry's face.**

**"Dilligrout," he said darkly to the Fat Lady, and they climbed through the portrait hole into the common room.**

**Neither of them mentioned Ginny or Hermione again; indeed, they barely spoke to each other that evening and got into bed in silence, each absorbed in his own thoughts, Harry lay awake for a long time, looking up at the canopy of his four-poster and trying to convince himself that his feelings for Ginny were entirely elder-brotherly. They had lived, had they not, like brother and sister all summer, playing Quidditch, teasing Ron, and having a laugh about Bill and Phlegm? He had known Ginny for years now… It was natural that he should feel protective… natural that he should want to look out for her… want to rip Dean limb from limb for kissing her… No… he would have to control that particular brotherly feeling…**

"It's anything but a brotherly feeling," said Arthur with a slight smile. He wondered if he had been this naive when he started to notice Molly. It had been a similar circumstance at any rate as he had been friends with Fabien and Gideon. **  
**

**Ron gave a great grunting snore.**

**She's Ron's sister, Harry told himself firmly. Ron's sister. She's out-of-bounds. He would not risk his friendship with Ron for anything.**

"Thanks, _Harry_," said _Ron_ rather sarcastically.**  
**

** He punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape and waited for sleep to come, trying his utmost not to allow his thoughts to stray anywhere near Ginny.**

**Harry awoke next morning feeling slightly dazed and confused by a series of dreams in which Ron had chased him with a Beater's bat,**

"Do you have Seer blood?" asked _Ginny_ in a joking manner.

"Uh, no," said _Harry_, wondering where on earth his wife could be going, but then realized she was referencing the time when McLaggen knocked him out.

"Did something about that dream come true?" asked Luna.

"In a round-about way," _Harry_ said. "But I don't want to explain it at the moment."**  
**

** but by midday he would have happily exchanged the dream Ron for the real one, who was not only cold-shouldering Ginny and Dean, but also treating a hurt and bewildered Hermione with an icy, sneering indifference. **

**What was more, Ron seemed to have become, overnight, as touchy and ready to lash out as the average Blast-Ended Skrewt. Harry spent the day attempting to keep the peace between Ron and Hermione with no success; finally, Hermione departed for bed in high dudgeon, and Ron stalked off to the boys' dormitory after swearing angrily at several frightened first years for looking at him.**

"_Ronald_!"**  
**

**To Harry's dismay, Ron's new aggression did not wear off over the next few days. Worse still, it coincided with an even deeper dip in his Keeping skills, which made him still more aggressive, so that during the final Quidditch practice before Saturdays match, he failed to save every single goal the Chasers aimed at him, but bellowed at everybody so much that he reduced Demelza Robins to tears.**

"Is there such a thing as an anger-reducing potion?" wondered little Hermione.**  
**

"I don't think so," said Charlie slowly. "Normally a calming potion would be used in an incident like this."

"**You shut up and leave her alone!" shouted Peakes, who was about two-thirds Ron's height, though admittedly carrying a heavy bat.**

"Which I deserved to be clobbered in the head with," _Ron_ muttered.**  
**

"**ENOUGH!" bellowed Harry, who had seen Ginny glowering in Ron's direction and, remembering her reputation as an accomplished caster of the Bat-Bogey Hex, soared over to intervene before things got out of hand. **

"**Peakes, go and pack up the Bludgers. Demelza, pull yourself together, you played really well today, Ron…" he waited until the rest of the team were out of earshot before saying it, "you're my best mate, but carry on treating the rest of them like this and I'm going to kick you off the team."**

"Way to be harsh," winced George.**  
**

**He really thought for a moment that Ron might hit him,**

"I'd never hit you out of anger," assured _Ron_, horrified that _Harry_ had even thought that. He didn't know everything about his best friend's past, but he knew that Harry had been hit out of anger before and for that reason, he never would do that. It was only playful punches and even then he was careful.**  
**

** but then something much worse happened: Ron seemed to sag on his broom; all the fight went out of him and he said, "I resign. I'm pathetic."**

"You have to believe that you can do it," said Charlie. "If you keep telling yourself that you're pathetic, you'll be pathetic, but if you tell yourself that you can do it, eventually you'll be able to."

"As long as it's within the realm of possibility," Percy pointed out. "You can't learn to fly by telling yourself that you can because human flight without the aid of something such as an aeroplane or a levitation spell is impossible."

"Please don't get into the logistics," begged Charlie. "You know what I was meaning."**  
**

"Naturally, but you have to understand that that idea is not entirely universal," Percy continued. "It only can work if the goal the that the person is trying to reach is in the realm of the possible."**  
**

"Okay, okay," muttered Charlie. "Can you just keep reading? I wanna get to the Quidditch game."

"**You're not pathetic and you're not resigning!" said Harry fiercely, seizing Ron by the front of his robes. "You can save anything when you're on form, it's a mental problem you've got!"**

"That probably wasn't the best choice of words," said Remus warily.**  
**

"**You calling me mental?"**

"In a special way," said little Harry.

"Could everyone be considered mental in some way or other?" wondered little Hermione. "Everyone thinks differently."

"That is a possibility," said Dumbledore, "but a different term would be used."**  
**

"**Yeah, maybe I am!"**

**They glared at each other for a moment, then Ron shook his head wearily. "I know you haven't got any time to find another Keeper, so I'll play tomorrow, but if we lose, and we will, I'm taking myself off the team."**

"_Ron_," Charlie groaned, but he was kept from saying anything more by Percy continuing to read.**  
**

**Nothing Harry said made any difference. He tried boosting Ron's confidence all through dinner, but Ron was too busy being grumpy and surly with Hermione to notice. Harry persisted in the common room that evening, but his assertion that the whole team would be devastated if Ron left was somewhat undermined by the fact that the rest of the team was sitting in a huddle in a distant corner, clearly muttering about Ron and casting him nasty looks. **

"I wasn't there!" said _Ginny_ quickly before anyone could turn on her.**  
**

**Finally Harry tried getting angry again in the hope of provoking Ron into a defiant, and hopefully goal-saving, attitude, but this strategy did not appear to work any better than encouragement; Ron went to bed as dejected and hopeless as ever.**

**Harry lay awake for a very long time in the darkness. He did not want to lose the upcoming match; not only was it his first as Captain, but he was determined to beat Draco Malfoy at Quidditch even if he could not yet prove his suspicions about him. Yet if Ron played as he had done in the last few practices, their chances of winning were very slim…**

"Sorry, _Ron_," said _Harry_. "You did excellently that game."**  
**

"Only because of a certain someone," _Ron_ muttered, but he was trying to keep from grinning.

**If only there was something he could do to make Ron pull himself together… make him play at the top of his form… something that would ensure that Ron had a really good day…**

**And the answer came to Harry in one, sudden, glorious stroke of inspiration.**

"_Harry James Potter_," said Sirius sternly. "You better not have used Felix Felicis." Remus too sent a sharp look in _Harry's_ direction.

**Breakfast was the usual excitable affair next morning; the Slytherins hissed and booed loudly as every member of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall. Harry glanced at the ceiling and saw a clear, pale blue sky: a good omen.**

**The Gryffindor table, a solid mass of red and gold, cheered as Harry and Ron approached. Harry grinned and waved; Ron grimaced weakly and shook his head.**

"**Cheer up, Ron!" called Lavender. "I know you'll be brilliant!"**

**Ron ignored her.**

"I should've kept on doing that," _Ron_ muttered under his breath.**  
**

"**Tea?" Harry asked him. "Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"**

"**Anything," said Ron glumly, taking a moody bite of toast.**

**A few minutes later Hermione, who had become so tired of Ron's recent unpleasant behavior that she had not come down to breakfast with them, paused on her way up the table.**

"**How are you both feeling?" she asked tentatively, her eyes on the back of Ron's head.**

"**Fine," said Harry, who was concentrating on handing Ron a glass of pumpkin juice.**

"**There you go, Ron. Drink up."**

**Ron had just raised the glass to his lips when Hermione spoke sharply.**

"**Don't drink that, Ron!"**

**Both Harry and Ron looked up at her.**

"**Why not?" said Ron.**

**Hermione was now staring at Harry as though she could not believe her eyes.**

"**You just put something in that drink."**

"**Excuse me?" said Harry.**

"**You heard me. I saw you. You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!"**

"**I don't know what you're talking about," said Harry, stowing the little bottle hastily in his pocket.**

"_Harry_!" said Charlie in horror. His mouth dropped wide open and he was unable to say anything else at the mere idea that Harry had used Felix Felicius on his younger brother.**  
**

"_Harry James_, if you used Felix Felicius … " Sirius let his sentence go unfinished, but the threat was obvious.

"**Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said again, alarmed, but Ron picked up the glass, drained it in one gulp, and said,**

"**Stop bossing me around, Hermione."**

**She looked scandalized. Bending low so that only Harry could hear her, she hissed, "You should be expelled for that. I'd never have believed it of you, Harry!"**

"**Look who's talking," he whispered back. "Confunded anyone lately?"**

"_Harry_! Now isn't the time for blackmail," scolded Tonks.**  
**

**She stormed up the table away from them. Harry watched her go without regret. Hermione had never really understood what a serious business Quidditch was.**

"It doesn't warrant cheating though," said Charlie sternly. He had managed to get his voice back. "That takes all the fun of Quidditch away."**  
**

"I didn't cheat and never would," _Harry_ assured. "I like the game too much to do that."

Charlie nodded, but still didn't look convinced.

"Is there a mention of _Harry_ putting something in the drink?" asked Arthur, knowing that if it had happened, it would be in the books as they were Harry's thoughts.

Percy flipped back and shook his head. "No," he answered, "but we can't know for certain yet."

** He then looked around at Ron, who was smacking his lips.**

"**Nearly time!' said Harry blithely.**

**The frosty grass crunched underfoot as they strode down to the stadium.**

"**Pretty lucky the weathers this good, eh?" Harry asked Ron.**

"You're certainly playing it up," muttered _Ginny_.**  
**

"**Yeah," said Ron, who was pale and sick-looking.**

"That doesn't seem like an outcome of Felix Felicius," said Remus. "I never learned about it, but doesn't it affect that taker right away?"**  
**

"Don't look at me!" Bill. "I managed to pass Potions, but it isn't my forte."

**Ginny and Demelza were already wearing their Quidditch robes and waiting in the changing room.**

"**Conditions look ideal," said Ginny, ignoring Ron. "And guess what? That Slytherin Chaser Vaisey — he took a Bludger in the head yesterday during their practice, and he's too sore to play! And even better than that — Malfoy's gone off sick too!"**

"Everything's working out perfectly," muttered Bill. He couldn't believe that _Harry_ would use Felix Felicis, but it was a possibility. Then there was the fact that Ron wasn't acting any different. _Why couldn't things make sense?_

"Doesn't Felix Felicis only make the events of the actual day work out better?" wondered Percy. "The Chaser got injured the day before, so it doesn't have anything to do with the Felix Felicis."

"True, but everything else seems to fit," muttered Charlie.

"But, at any rate the incident with Vaisey doesn't have to do with the potion," said Remus, "so there is a possibility that nothing will have to do with the potion. Remember, Harry said he didn't cheat."

"Is there a difference between cheating and pretending to cheat?" asked Fred.

"Yes," said Percy quickly. "The actual cheating."

"So, could Harry simply be pretending to cheat?" Fred continued. "Could he simply be pretending to give Ron Felix Felicis?"

"Would someone do that?" asked George.

"If anyone, it would be _Harry_," said Bill, desperately hoping that the twins had the right idea. It would be an extreme relief if that was how this incident ended up.

_Harry_ was trying to avoid staring at Fred. He had always known the Weasley twins were smart, but this, this took the cake. If Fred could figure out what had happened that quickly, perhaps the others could to. Thankfully, it would be explained shortly, but he could do without all the dark glances in his direction, especially from Charlie.

_Ginny_ cracked a grin. Of course Fred would find the loophole that was actually a good one and worked. There was a fine line between cheating and pretending to cheat, but it seemed as if Fred could find it.

"**What?" said Harry, wheeling around to stare at her. "He's ill? What's wrong with him?"**

"**No idea, but it's great for us," said Ginny brightly. **

"He's working on his bloody special project," muttered _Harry_.**  
**

**"They're playing Harper instead; he's in my year and he's an idiot."**

"You're stereotypical Slytherin?" asked Charlie.

"No," answered _Ginny_, "more like a Crabbe and Goyle type of Slytherin."**  
**

**Harry smiled back vaguely, but as he pulled on his scarlet robes his mind was far from Quidditch. Malfoy had once before claimed he could not play due to injury, but on that occasion he had made sure the whole match was rescheduled for a time that suited the Slytherins better. Why was he now happy to let a substitute go on? Was he really ill, or was he faking?**

"**Fishy, isn't it?" he said in an undertone to Ron. "Malfoy not playing?"**

"**Lucky, I call it," said Ron, looking slightly more animated. "And Vaisey off too, he's their best goal scorer, I didn't fancy — hey!" he said suddenly, freezing halfway through pulling on his Keepers gloves and staring at Harry.**

"**What?"**

"**I… you…" Ron had dropped his voice, he looked both scared and excited. "My drink… my pumpkin juice… you didn't…?"**

"I knew it was cheating, but I also felt confident," explained _Ron_. "Bloody weird feeling."**  
**

**Harry raised his eyebrows, but said nothing except, "We'll be starting in about five minutes, you'd better get your boots on."**

**They walked out onto the pitch to tumultuous roars and boos. One end of the stadium was solid red and gold; the other, a sea of green and silver. Many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had taken sides too: Amidst all the yelling and clapping Harry could distinctly hear the roar of Luna Lovegood's famous lion-topped hat.**

**Harry stepped up to Madam Hooch, the referee, who was standing ready to release the balls from the crate.**

"**Captains shake hands," she said, and Harry had his hand crushed by the new Slytherin Captain, Urquhart. "Mount your brooms. On the whistle… three… two… one…"**

**The whistle sounded, Harry and the others kicked off hard from the frozen ground, and they were away.**

**Harry soared around the perimeter of the grounds, looking around for the Snitch and keeping one eye on Harper, who was zigzagging far below him. Then a voice that was jarringly different to the usual commentator's started up.**

"Who is it?" asked little Ginny.**  
**

"**Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team that Potter's put together this year. Many thought, given Ronald Weasley's patchy performance as Keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help…"**

"Shut up!" snarled Charlie. "'Who the heck is the commentator this time?"**  
**

**These words were greeted with jeers and applause from the Slytherin end of the pitch. Harry craned around on his broom to look toward the commentator's podium. A tall, skinny blond boy with an upturned nose was standing there, talking into the magical megaphone that had once been Lee Jordan's; Harry recognized Zacharias Smith,**

"Why does it have to be him?" groaned little Ron. "He won't be funny like Lee or Luna."

"I don't know why he got picked, but no one liked his comments," said _Harry_.**  
**

** a Hufflepuff player whom he heartily disliked.**

"Smith is a complete disgrace to Hufflepuff house," announced Tonks. "How'd he even end up in there? He doesn't display the qualities for it."

"Smith is blatantly obvious, a coward, and doesn't care about studying," said _Ginny_ curtly. "I know Hufflepuff House values friendship and loyalty, but Hufflepuff herself would take in students that didn't fit elsewhere. So, that's why I think he ended up there."

"That makes sense," Tonks agreed, "but couldn't he have been home schooled?"**  
**

"Imagine trying to live with him," said _Ron_ with a shudder. "His Mum was probably relieved to get him out of the house."

"**Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and —"**

**Harrys stomach turned over.**

"— **Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose…"**

"Shut it," muttered Charlie again.**  
**

"Considering who Smith is, I doubt he ever will," said _Ginny_.

"You managed to," said _Ron_ cheekily.

"Quiet!" _Ginny_ scolded and got many curious looks in the process.

"How'd you shut him up?" asked George.

"You'll see," _Ginny_ muttered as she glared at _Ron_.

"**That's right, Smith, he is," muttered Harry, grinning to himself,**

"_Harry_!" said Sirius. He had a nagging feeling that something was off about the whole Felix Felicis incident, but everything was pointing towards the fact that Harry had used it. "_Harry_, if I find out that you used it, we're having a long talk when this chapter is over."**  
**

** as he dived amongst the Chasers with his eyes searching all around for some hint of the elusive Snitch.**

**With half an hour of the game gone, Gryffindor were leading sixty points to zero, Ron having made some truly spectacular saves, some by the very tips of his gloves, and Ginny having scored four of Gryffindor's six goals. This effectively stopped Zacharias wondering loudly whether the two Weasleys were only there because Harry liked them, and he started on Peakes and Coote instead.**

"Bash the Slytherin team if you have to bash someone!" begged little Ron.**  
**

"**Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater," said Zacharias loftily, "they've generally got a bit more muscle —"**

"**Hit a Bludger at him!" **

"Do it!" said little Ginny.

"It's against the rules to hit the commentator," Charlie pointed out, "but in a case I like this, I would consider it to be okay."**  
**

**Harry called to Coote as he zoomed past, but Coote, grinning broadly, chose to aim the next Bludger at Harper instead, who was just passing Harry in the opposite direction. Harry was pleased to hear the dull thunk that meant the Bludger had found its mark.**

"Well, at least a player is out," said Bill.**  
**

**It seemed as though Gryffindor could do no wrong. Again and again they scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite "Weasley Is Our King," he pretended to conduct them from on high.**

"**Thinks he's something special today, doesn't he?" said a snide voice, and Harry was nearly knocked off his broom as Harper collided with him hard and deliberately.**

"Foul!" cried Tonks.**  
**

** "Your blood-traitor pal…"**

**Madam Hooch's back was turned, and though Gryffindors below shouted in anger, by the time she looked around, Harper had already sped off. His shoulder aching, Harry raced after him, determined to ram him back…**

"**And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the Snitch!" said Zacharias Smith through his megaphone. "Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"**

**Smith really was an idiot, thought Harry, hadn't he noticed them collide? But next moment, his stomach seemed to drop out of the, sky — Smith was right and Harry was wrong: Harper had not sped upward at random; he had spotted what Harry had not: The Snitch was speeding along high above them, glinting brightly against the clear blue sky.**

**Harry accelerated; the wind was whistling in his ears so that it drowned all sound of Smith's commentary or the crowd, but Harper was still ahead of him, and Gryffindor was only a hundred points up; if Harper got there first Gryffindor had lost… and now Harper was feet from it, his hand outstretched…**

"**Oy, Harper!" yelled Harry in desperation. "How much did Malfoy pay you to come on instead of him?"**

"Isn't the cheating?" asked Arthur.

"No," said Charlie. "You can distract your opponent with insults as long as you don't touch them. Pretty much anything goes as long as there isn't physical contact or magic involved."**  
**

"I think that does sum up all of the offenses," said Bill. "I wish they'd release the entire list of fouls."

"And give people like you ideas?" asked a horrified Percy.

"What sort of fouls are there?" asked little Harry.

"Oh please don't," muttered Percy, but it was too late.

"There are over six hundred fouls as I think have been mentioned earlier," said Charlie. "Only a few are actually known and they're the only one's that can be done as the players aren't allowed to use their wands. But some of the fouls range from attacking one's opponent with an axe to turning the referee's broom into a Portkey. Then there are the normal fouls that involve physical contact. They are: Blagging, Blatching, Blurting, Bumphing, and Cobbing, All of them are fouls that everyone can make. Then there are the fouls that only certain players can make. For example, only a Keeper can Flack. Next are the Chaser fouls …"

Charlie suddenly found himself unable to talk yet again. He glared sharply at Bill, but Bill quickly shook his head. Charlie then saw a flash of movement in the corner of his eye and saw Remus putting his wand away. He turned his gaze at Remus, but Remus didn't look at him.

"Just shut up about Quidditch for a bit," said Bill. He looked over at little Harry and saw that he was staring at Charlie in complete awe. "Look," Bill continued, "you can give Harry a Quidditch lecture later, but for now, let's stick to the book."

Charlie nodded and Bill released him from the silencing spell. "I'll continue later," he promised little Harry, who nodded.

"Oi, I play Quidditch too!" protested Sirius.

"You both can explain," said little Harry quietly and before anymore Quidditch discussions could start, Percy began to read again.

**He did not know what made him say it, but Harper did a double-take; he fumbled the Snitch, let it slip through his fingers, and shot right past it. Harry made a great swipe for the tiny, fluttering ball and caught it.**

"YES!" shouted all of the Quidditch fans.**  
**

**"YES!" Harry yelled. **

**Wheeling around, he hurtled back toward the ground, the Snitch held high in his hand. As the crowd realized what had happened, a great shout went up that almost drowned the sound of the whistle that signaled the end of the game.**

"**Ginny, where're you going?" yelled Harry, who had found hint self trapped in the midst of a mass midair hug with the rest of the team, but Ginny sped right on past them until, with an almighty crash, she collided with the commentators podium. **

"_Ginny_, what happened?" asked Arthur. Surely she hadn't lost control of her broom.**  
**

"You'll find out in a second," said _Ginny_. She knew that she shouldn't have crashed into the podium, but it had felt so good to do so at the time.

**As the crowd shrieked and laughed, the Gryffindor team landed beside the wreckage of wood under which Zacharias was feebly stirring;**

"Oh," said Bill, then he broke out into a laugh. "Well, that git deserved it for those comments."**  
**

** Harry heard Ginny saying blithely to an irate Professor McGonagall, "Forgot to brake, Professor, sorry."**

"Lamest excuse ever," said George with a shake of his head.

"I couldn't very well say that I was trying to crash into Smith," said _Ginny_. "And it was a spur of the moment decision."**  
**

**Laughing, Harry broke free of the rest of the team and hugged Ginny, but let go very quickly. Avoiding her gaze, he clapped cheering Ron on the back instead as, all enmity forgotten, the Gryffindor team left the pitch arm in arm, punching the air and waving to their supporters.**

**The atmosphere in the changing room was jubilant. "Party up in the common room, Seamus said!" yelled Dean exuberantly. "C'mon, Ginny, Demelza!"**

**Ron and Harry were the last two in the changing room. They were just about to leave when Hermione entered. She was twisting her Gryffindor scarf in her hands and looked upset but determined. "I want a word with you, Harry." She took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, its illegal."**

"**What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron.**

"**What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away to hang up his robes so that neither of them would see him grinning,**

"**You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"**

"**No, I didn't," said Harry, turning back to face them both.**

"**Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"**

"Oi!" cried _Ron_, but it was in jest.**  
**

"**I didn't put it in!" said Harry, grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax.**

Everyone stared at _Harry_.**  
**

"You didn't use it," said Charlie. Thankfully _Harry_ could tell it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I told you I didn't," he said calmly. "I hate cheating and would never cheat."**  
**

"Sorry I thought you did," murmured Charlie, "but it seemed so likely."

** "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."**

**He pocketed the potion again.**

"**There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said, astounded. "But the weather's good… and Vaisey couldn't play… I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"**

**Harry shook his head. Ron gaped at him for a moment, then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice. "You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"**

"**I never said you couldn't — Ron, you thought you'd been given it too!"**

**But Ron had already strode past her out of the door with his broomstick over his shoulder.**

"**Er," said Harry into the sudden silence; he had not expected his plan to backfire like this,**

"Will you ever figure out that your plans never go go accordingly?" wondered _Ron_.

"Probably not, as I keep trying," said _Harry_ with a grin. He knew what was coming up and was dreading it, so he wanted to keep a cheerful atmosphere for as long as possible, thought that opportunity probably had already past.**  
**

** "shall… shall we go up to the party, then?"**

"**You go!" said Hermione, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done…"**

"You did what you thought you should do," said Molly calmly, but afterward she sent a sharp look at _Ron_ that read, "You acted like an idiot."**  
**

**And she stormed out of the changing room too.**

"And now your two best friends are both mad at you and mad at each other," sighed Tonks.**  
**

"Thankfully it didn't last very long," muttered _Ron_.

_Harry_ raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe it took a bit longer than it otherwise should have," said _Ron_. "And it did get fixed in rather a dramatic fashion.

"Does this 'dramatic fashion' include any close brushes with death?" asked Remus.

"I guess you could say that," _Harry_ muttered, knowing that if he hadn't remembered the bezor, _Ron_ would've died.

**Harry walked slowly back up the grounds toward the castle through the crowd, many of whom shouted congratulations at him, but he felt a great sense of letdown; he had been sure that if Ron won the match, he and Hermione would be friends again immediately. He did not see how he could possibly explain to Hermione that what she had done to offend Ron was kiss Viktor Krum, not when the offense had occurred so long ago.**

"Young love," sighed Molly with a shake of her head.**  
**

**Harry could not see Hermione at the Gryffindor celebration party, which was in full swing when he arrived. Renewed cheers and clapping greeted his appearance, and he was soon surrounded by a mob of people congratulating him. What with trying to shake off the Creevey brothers, who wanted a blow-by-blow match analysis,**

"Weren't they there?" asked George.

"Yeah, but with Smith as commentator …" said _Ginny_.**  
**

"Oh, right, it wouldn't have been a very fair commentary," said Fred

** and the large group of girls that encircled him, laughing at his least amusing comments and batting their eyelids, it was some time before he could try and find Ron. At last, he extricated himself from Romilda Vane, who was hinting heavily that she would like to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with him. As he was ducking toward the drinks table, he walked straight into Ginny, Arnold the Pygmy Puff riding on her shoulder and Crookshanks mewing hopefully at her heels.**

**"Looking for Ron?" she asked, smirking. "He's over there, the filthy hypocrite."**

"What did I do?" asked little Ron in a small voice.

Percy's eyes went large when he saw the next two sentences. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath and continued.**  
**

**Harry looked into the corner she was indicating. There, in full view of the whole room, stood Ron wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown it was hard to tell whose hands were whose.**

"WHAT?" shouted nearly everyone.

"What's with all the kissing in this chapter?" asked Tonks as she tried to keep a straight face. It wasn't that she thought there was anything wrong with kissing, but at her age she still was a little uncomfortable with the idea of doing it.

"Teenagers being teenagers," answered Sirius, though he was hoping that he hadn't acted quite like this, but he probably had acted even worse.

It was hard to tell who had the most disgusted face on. The youngest were obviously the most uncomfortable, especially little Ron, but in general, everyone felt extremely awkward.**  
**

_Ron_ and _Hermione_ both suppressed winces. For both of them, these events were among their worst memories, not including the memories of them saving the world. Neither of them wished to remember the times when they hated each other, and especially this period.

"Okay," said little Ginny slowly. At least she wasn't kissing anyone at this point, but it was still disgusting.

Little Ron on the other hand looked as if he were about to be sick, and indeed, he was turning slightly green. "Are you okay?" asked Neville, as he looked at his friend in concern.

"Girls … kissing … icky," was all anyone could make out.

"Ron, it's all right," Molly assured her youngest son. "Even if this happens, it won't happen for several years." Meanwhile, Molly was in complete confusion inside. It was quite obvious that Ron and Hermione weren't going to get together at the Christmas party, so when did they get together? Well, whatever happened, she hoped that they would still be friends at this point in time, but something in her was doubting that wish.

"I hope there's not a description of me kissing someone," muttered little Harry. The mentions of his future self's feelings for little Ginny were bad enough, but he really hoped that that was as far as the book would go in their relationship.

"Sorry, pup, but that probably will happen when you and Ginny get together," said Sirius, causing both Harrys to turn red and little Harry buried his face in his hands.

Remus looked on in amusement. He had had a lot of fun in his sixth and seventh years of Hogwarts watching James and Sirius trying to get their girls. Granted, Lily had never even spoken civily to James until the end of their sixth year and when it came to Sirius and Hestia … well, it was very interesting and hard to describe. "Getting a special friend is just part of growing up," said Remus softly.

"Well, then, you can't say I'm not grown up because I have had that type of friend whereas you haven't," retorted Sirius, though his heart wasn't fully in it. He wondered if Hestia would still have him, if there would still be a possibility of them getting together. He shook his head as now was not the time to think about something like that.

Luna still appeared to not have a care about the kissing, but actually, she was deep in thought It was quite obvious that _Ron_ liked _Hermione_. Perhaps this was his way of trying to get her attention? It was a dumb way to do it, but it might be effective.

Again, the the two oldest Weasley boys didn't quite know what to think. There still was that sense of protection, but as this was their younger brother, not their sister, it wasn't as strong. Yes, it was still extremely awkward, but they didn't want to hex anyone, well maybe _Ron_, but Lavender was safe, at least for the moment.

Percy too was in a similar mindset. Granted again, this kiss was taking place in the future at a time when Ron would be older, so it would probably be all right. It was strange that he didn't have as protective of a nature with Ron kissing someone than when Ginny kissed someone. Did something like that only happen towards sisters?

The twins didn't whether or not they should laugh, but in the end, decided against it. Naturally, they didn't really care what their brother would be getting up to in ten years, so it didn't matter to them what he was doing. Yes, it was gross, but thankfully it was taking place in a book. "I just don't want to see that," muttered Fred and George nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore was still sitting quietly, listening carefully and watching the action. Romance was a very interesting aspect of young life and it could easily get quite chaotic. Young _Ronald_ was not doing the right thing by getting together with Lavender Brown when it was quite obvious that he and _Hermione_ liked each other, but perhaps they simply didn't realize it. He hoped that these two wonderful couples would get together shortly though.

_Harry_ closed his eyes in thought. Yes, the time when _Ron_ and Lavender dated had been awkward and simply wrong, but he couldn't blame her. She had wanted attention from a nice looking young man and had gotten it. Thankfully, Seamus had come to his senses soon after _Ron_ and Lavender's break up and now she and Seamus were happily married. However, they had found out that because Lavender had been attacked by Greyback, she wasn't able to have children. That didn't stop them though and they had immediately turned to adoption. Currently the two of them were in the process of adopting their first child and hopefully he or she would be a member of the Finnigan family shortly.

"Earth to Harry, earth to _Harry_," said _Ginny_ in his ear causing him to come out of his thoughts with a start.

"Yes?" he said quickly.

"What were you thinking about?" _Ginny_ asked gently.

"Just about Lav and Seamus," _Harry_ answered in a whisper. _Ginny_ nodded in understanding.

"Should I keep reading?" asked Percy. "The chapter's just about finished."

"Yes, get it done," said _Ron_ quickly. He wanted to spend the minimum amount of time possible reading about Lavender and his relationship.

"**It looks like he's eating her face, doesn't it?" said Ginny dispassionately. "But I suppose he's got to refine his technique somehow. Good game, Harry."**

"Nice abrupt change of topic," said Tonks sarcastically.

"I think abruptness is a Weasley trait," muttered _Ron_.**  
**

"Perhaps that's why there's never been such a thing as a Slytherin Weasley," said Tonks teasingly. "You're not subtle enough."

**She patted him on the arm; Harry felt a swooping sensation in his stomach, but then she walked off to help herself to more butterbeer. Crookshanks trotted after her, his yellow eyes fixed upon Arnold.**

"Arnold's just a Pygmy Puff, right?" asked little Ginny.

"Yes," _Ginny_ assured with a smile. "A simple, sweet Pygmy Puff."**  
**

**Harry turned away from Ron, who did not look like he would be surfacing soon, just as the portrait hole was closing. With a sinking feeling, he thought he saw a mane of bushy brown hair whipping out of sight.**

"She saw you, didn't she?" asked Bill. A red-faced _Ron_ nodded in confirmation.**  
**

"You certainly had a lot to learn about girls," sighed Bill with a shake of his head.

"Like you know everything," muttered Charlie.

"OI!" cried Bill. "It looks like I manage to get a girl in the end."

Fleur turned slightly pink. Being only quarter-veela, she couldn't fully blush, but there was just enough human in her to allow her to blush slightly. "Please, don't talk about zat," she said. "Eets only in ze book, not now."

"Sorry, Fleur," apologized Bill, "I was just trying to explain to my moron of a brother (Oi!") that I have some knowledge of girls."

"Can you just be quiet for a bit longer and let me finish this chapter?" asked Percy impatiently.

**He darted forward, sidestepped Romilda Vane again, and pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady. The corridor outside, seemed to be deserted.**

"**Hermione?"**

**He found her in the first unlocked classroom he tried. She was sitting on the teacher's desk, alone except for a small ring of twittering yellow birds circling her head, which she had clearly just conjured out of midair. Harry could not help admiring her spell-work at a time like this.**

"It helps me concentrate," _Hermione_ murmured. "And it relieves stress."**  
**

"**Oh, hello, Harry," she said in a brittle voice. "I was just practicing."**

"**Yeah… they're — er — really good…" said Harry.**

**He had no idea what to say to her. He was just wondering whether there was any chance that she had not noticed Ron,**

"It's _Hermione_," stated Sirius. "She can't not notice."

"Don't use double negatives," scolded Remus, "but you're right. It would be impossible for her not to notice Ron doing something like that."**  
**

** that she had merely left the room because the party was a little too rowdy, when she said, in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, "Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations."**

"**Er… does he?" said Harry.**

"**Don't pretend you didn't see him," said Hermione. "He wasn't exactly hiding it, was —?"**

**The door behind them burst open. To Harry's horror, Ron came in, laughing, pulling Lavender by the hand.**

"Of all the places you two could go," groaned Molly. She was very disappointed in her son at the moment, but as it was far in the future, and hopefully would not happen for her young son, and was long ago in the past for _Ron_, she didn't say anything.**  
**

"**Oh," he said, drawing up short at the sight of Harry and Hermione.**

"I didn't know you were in there," _Ron_ said softly.**  
**

"It's okay," _Hermione_ whispered. "I don't you didn't mean anything bad by entering the room."

"**Oops!" said Lavender, and she backed out of the room, giggling. The door swung shut behind her.**

**There was a horrible, swelling, billowing silence. Hermione was staring at Ron, who refused to look at her, but said with an odd mixture of bravado and awkwardness, "Hi, Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!"**

"_Ronald_!" scolded Molly. "There is a time and a place! What you should have done is apologized to _Hermione_."**  
**

**Hermione slid off the desk. The little flock of golden birds continued to twitter in circles around her head so that she looked like a strange, feathery model of the solar system.**

"**You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she said quietly. "She'll wonder where you've gone."**

**She walked very slowly and erectly toward the door. Harry glanced at Ron, who was looking relieved that nothing worse had happened.**

"Anything that can go wrong -" little Hermione started.

"Will go wrong," little Ginny finished with a small giggle.**  
**

"**Oppugno!" came a shriek from the doorway.**

"Hermione!' said Charlie in shock. "You didn't!"

"I did," Hermione confirmed.

"Did what?" asked Neville.

"The Oppugno causes an object, in this case the conjured birds, to attack the victim, in this case, Ron," explained Charlie. "At points it can be funny, but it can be quite dangerous at times."**  
**

**Harry spun around to see Hermione pointing her wand at Ron, her expression wild: The little flock of birds was speeding like a hail of fat golden bullets toward Ron, who yelped and covered his face with his hands, but the birds attacked, pecking and clawing at every bit of flesh they could reach.**

"That wasn't the worst," muttered _Ron_. "One of those bloody birds relieved itself on my head!"

No one knew whether or not to laugh, but several smothered giggles managed to escape. Before anyone could say anything though, Percy quickly read the final sentence of the chapter.**  
**

**"Gerremoffme!" he yelled, but with one last look of vindictive fury, Hermione wrenched open the door and disappeared through it. Harry thought he heard a sob before it slammed.**

"Well, at least that's over," said Percy as he put the book down.**  
**

"And thus start the various love fiascoes," muttered _Ginny_.

"My turn!" cried George and he grabbed the book.

* * *

_**MuggleCreator: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you think the reactions are realistic.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. That's fine, in fact, I didn't even guess that you weren't a native English speaker until you mentioned it. It's actually thanks to other people that I've noticed the statement about the mouth organ being a mouth organ to mean that the ring wasn't simply a ring.**_

_**CLATO 3: Thanks for the review. I'm thankful you think I'm a good author. I'm looking forward to and dreading writing reactions to DH, mainly because of all the deaths.**_

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review. I take it I guessed correctly then. :)  
**_

_**Furionknight: Thanks.  
**_


	16. The Unbreakable Vow

**_A/N Older Harry is written in italics and younger Harry is written as little Harry. The same thing is done for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._**

**_Wow, I've been working on this story for two years now and I have one and a half books to go. Hopefully it won't be too much longer to get them finished._**

**_I'm sorry for such a long wait, but the recent purge of RtB stories made me lose my inspiration. For the moment, my stories have remained untouched, but I'm slowly adding slightly updated versions to Point Given's forum. The main story isn't being changed, but I'm updating my grammar/spelling and detail. The link is in my profile._**

**_Also, sorry for anyone who reviewed the authors note and is unable to review this chapter. If you wish to review, you can review anomalously or PM me.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the words in bold are JK Rowling's. _**

"Uh oh," was all George said when he opened the book to the next chapter.

**The Unbreakable Vow**

"Do you find out what happened then?" asked Remus quickly.

"Yeah," _Harry_ said rather slowly.

"Dada?" said James, getting up from the floor.

"Yes, son?" _Harry_ asked. He loved it that his young son had a fairly long attention span and was also quiet. He knew that this part of James' life wouldn't last for much longer though.

"Wewe Fwed?"

"Cousin Fred is at home with his daddy," said _Harry_ quietly.

"Play wi Fwed!" said James firmly as he stomped his little foot.

"You can do that when we go home," assured _Ginny_ as she picked up James and settled him on what was left of her lap.

"Who's Fred?" asked Fred.

"You know that sounds really weird coming out of your mouth," said George with a laugh.

"Fred's George's son," explained _Harry_, who was also amused, but slightly sad as well, "I thought I had already said that."

"You probably did, but you know how the twins are bound to forget things like that," said Bill.

"Oi!" cried the twins together.

"George, just read," said Molly firmly.

**Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armour and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, Harry's frequent night-time wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways, so that he was often, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes.**

"That's always a plus," said Bill.

"At least one can still pass under the mistletoe unkissed if one avoids the girls," said Remus. "I dread the day mistletoe is charmed to force two people to kiss before moving on."

"We should do that!" said Fred as a mischievous grin snuck onto his face.

"Oh brother," muttered Percy.

**Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours excuse for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price. **

"I was such an idiot," muttered _Ron_ yet again.

**Firstly, Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted; **

"That's certainly not much of a relationship," said Bill. "What about the talking?"

"I honestly don't know what I expected out of her," said _Ron_ with a sigh. "There certainly weren't any intelligent conversations with her."

"Are you calling yourself intelligent?" asked _Ginny_.

"No," said _Ron_ quickly. "_Hermione_ provides the intelligence to the conversation, but I'll often start it."

"With a seemingly pointless statement," _Hermione_ retorted.

"Pointless being the word," _Ron_ said. "You're always going on about the importance of little things, so everything in some sense has to be important."

There were several skeptical looks at this statement as everyone could think of something they thought to be unimportant.

"So flies are important?" asked little Ginny.

"Yes, as they help to balance the ecosystem," answered little Hermione. "Frogs feed on flies, so without frogs, they world would be overrun by flies."

"And if there weren't frogs or flies?" asked little Ron. He didn't see the point in frogs either, so if there weren't flies, it would mean there weren't frogs and that was good in his opinion.

"Then the entire ecosystem would be even more messed up because the snakes wouldn't have food," said a clearly annoyed little Hermione. "All the animals are important in some way or another as they're part of the ecosystem and probably belong to some animal or other's food chain."

"Not like Snakes are important anyway," muttered Charlie.

"Charles!" said Molly.

"I know she's talking about different snakes, but it's all the same to me," Charlie muttered under his breath.

"But not everything's important," said Fred, getting back to the discussion.

"Yeah, dirt's no good," added George.

"It is too!" said little Hermione indignantly. "It holds the earth together and it gives us plants that give us food!"

"You don't need vegetables!" cried little Ron.

"You might not eat them, but if there weren't trees, there wouldn't be meat as most animals that meat comes from eat plants!" Little Hermione was nearly shouting by this point, but it was clear that she wasn't finished. "If there wasn't dirt, there couldn't be plants, and if there weren't plants, then there wouldn't be meat." She paused and almost as an afterthought added, "Oh, and there wouldn't be oxygen either."

"But what about –" began Neville, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by Molly.

"George, read!" she said firmly and George complied immediately.

"Were you always like that?" _Ron_ quietly asked his wife while George found the page.

"Yes," said _Hermione_ rather slowly. Seeing her younger self was really helping her to understand why she hadn't had very many friends at a young age. She always knew the answer and had been very pushy when it came to telling people answers.

**and secondly, Harry found himself once more the best friend of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.**

"And not for the last time," muttered _Harry, __remembering the big fight he and Ron__ had had and how Hermione had also been involved in it_.

"You two have a major argument again?" asked Sirius. "How in the world did you two end up married?"

"You know, you can ask the same about James and Lily," Remus pointed out.

"But they weren't friends until seventh year," Sirius pointed out, "unlike these two who have been friends since their first year."

"We kept making up," shrugged _Ron_.

"And you still do on a regular basis," said _Ginny_.

**Ron, whose hands and forearms still bore scratches and cuts from Hermione's bird attack, was taking a defensive and resentful tone.**

"Oh boy," sighed Bill, knowing that this type of _Ron_ wasn't an overly fun one to hang out with.

"**She can't complain," he told Harry. "She snogged Krum. So she's found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong."**

"I had no clue how I was supposed to act," _Ron_ mumbled. "And don't tell me I acted like an idiot, I know that."

**Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning (Quintessence: A Quest). Determined as he was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, he was spending a lot of time with his mouth shut tight.**

"Which wasn't unusual," _Harry_ muttered, though it was with a smile.

"**I never promised Hermione anything," Ron mumbled. "I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said… just as friends… I'm a free agent…"**

"You mean if I had meant it as a date …" _Hermione's_ voice trailed off as _Ron's_ face turned red.

"Uh, yeah," said _Ron_ awkwardly. "Things might've gone better."

"And you're always calling him out for his lack of tact," said _Ginny_ with a shake of her head.

"Tact is something that we all can work on at moments," _Hermione_ said. "I've had my times when I've been too blunt and so has everyone else."

"But sometimes bluntness is needed," _Harry_ pointed out. "I know we all needed it after … after…"

"After what?" asked Arthur slowly. Whatever this event was, it had to have been major and probably involved the deaths or injuries of close friends. That was the only thing he couldn't think of which would require the type of bluntness _Harry_ was talking about, but he also desperately hoped that this was not the case.

"Uh," Harry began, as he avoided eye contact with everyone. "Uh, after the …the b-b-battle."

"What battle?" asked Molly, worry etched on her face.

"They probably mean the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Mum," said Bill. He knew that this couldn't be the battle Harry had nearly mentioned, but it was enough to calm his mother down.

"Of course," she said. "You'd need directness after such an event."

_Harry_ sent a look of relief in Bill's direction, but Bill's return glance clearly said that he knew they were hiding something major. Bill also was trying to figure out if this bluntness had anything to do with his family. He knew that at least one of them probably had gotten injured, or worse, killed, and he figured that it probably had something to do with this battle. He mildly wondered if this had anything to do with the twins, but quickly dismissed it as he couldn't bear to think of anything happening to them.

Dumbledore's gave fell on _Harry_ and he looked at the young man sadly. He too knew what about the kind of bluntness _Harry_ was talking about and that it was only needed after a tragic event. He was certain that _Harry's_ reluctance to talk about this event meant that it had indeed been tragic and probably had resulted in much loss, including those in the room. After all, Harry had avoided eye contact while answering.

Remus too was thinking hard and fast about _Harry's_ stuttering and reluctance to look at anyone. It had to do with a battle of greater extent than the one in the Ministry and probably had resulted in many deaths, most likely himself included. But, Remus chose not to think about that at the moment. This battle would come when it came and they shouldn't be thinking about it before they had to.

Sirius gently placed a hand on _Harry's_ shoulder. "_Harry_, whatever this battle is, we can help you. Whoever dies in this event is still around at this time, don't forget that."

_Harry_ was just able to crack a grin. "I'll remember," he said quietly, knowing that he probably wouldn't.

**Harry turned a page of Quintessence, aware that Ron was watching him. Ron's voice trailed away in mutters, barely audible over the loud crackling of the fire, though Harry thought he caught the words "Krum" and "Can't complain" again.**

**Hermione's schedule was so full that Harry could only talk to her properly in the evenings, when Ron was, in any case, so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what Harry was doing.**

Little Ron looked positively sick at this description and _Ron_ didn't look much better.

** Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Harry generally joined her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.**

"Is there some type of charm to force you to talk in a whisper?" wondered little Hermione. "I know from the books that there's a silencing charm and something like an amplifying charm, so is there something in the middle?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "But something like that would be quite useful, especially for Madam Pince."

"**He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes," said Hermione, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. "I really couldn't care less."**

**She raised her quill and dotted an 'i' so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Harry said nothing. He thought his voice might soon vanish from the lack of use. He bent a little lower over Advanced Potion-Making and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the prince's useful additions to Libatius Borage's text.**

"**And incidentally," said Hermione, after a few moments, "you need to be careful."**

**"**About what?" asked Fleur.

"It should be explained in a moment," said _Hermione_.

"And I'm careful!" _Harry_ retorted.

"How many dishes have you broken in the last month?" asked _Ginny_ as she tried to cross her arms, but found herself unable between James and her pregnancy.

"Uh, fifteen," said _Harry_ awkwardly.

"I highly doubt that counts as being careful," _Ginny_ continued.

Little Harry shifted uneasily. He had broken many dishes while cooking and every time he had been severely punished for his clumsiness. It was wrong to break dishes, but why wasn't his future self in major trouble. Maybe punishments were different in the magical world. Oh, and dishes could be fixed easily here too, so it would be harder to get caught and be punished.

"Harry," said Sirius softly, "is something the matter?"

Little Harry quickly shook his head, even though he knew he should probably tell his godfather what he had been thinking. He still wasn't used to the idea of being about to talk to adults about problems without getting punished.

Once again, Sirius knew that there was more to little Harry's past than what he was telling them. Sirius knew that both he and little Harry had had similar childhood, yet he kept hoping that little Harry had had a better one than his, but that hope kept degrading. He too had gotten in more trouble than the average child would when he broke something, even though it was very easy to fix practically everything in his house. Sirius knew that he had been treated with scorn because he shared different views and he knew that little Harry had been ignored and abused because he was different as well. Sirius gathered his godson into his arms and gently rubbed little Harry's head. He was determined to find out exactly what had occurred at the Dursleys, but he wouldn't force it out of little Harry. _Harry_ had told him some things and little Harry others, but Sirius knew that the true story was deeper and darker than what he had been told, and to a certain extent, deeper even than these books.

"**For the last time," said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse tone after three-quarters of an hour of silence, "I am not giving back this book. I've learned more from the Half-blood prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in —"**

**Yet again, _Harry_ just managed to suppress a snort.**

"**I'm not talking about your stupid so-called prince," said Hermione, giving his book a nasty look as though it had been rude to her. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girl's bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. **

"But that's illegal," said Bill.

"Mum, did you say that you made one once?" asked Percy. "Was it illegal then?"

"No," said Remus and he jabbed Sirius with his elbow. "It's this guy who managed to make it illegal."

"Oi!" Sirius cried. "You participated."

"Unwillingly," retorted Remus.

"What happened?" asked _Ginny_.

"Long story," Sirius muttered quickly, not wanting to let everyone know.

"Do tell," said _Hermione _as she shifted Rose to a more comfortable position.

"This idiot decided that the only thing that would get Lily to fall in love with James was a love potion. He also decided that he'd use it as a joke with Hestia," said Remus. "Well, Sirius made the potion and I was in charge of sneaking them into substances the girls would eat. Needless to say, Murphy's Law was applicable and I got the two potions mixed up."

"Oh," _Harry_ winced, knowing that this could not have ended well.

"So, Lily ended up chasing Sirius for the entire day and Hestia was chasing James," Remus continued. "When James discovered what we had done, well, he certainly was mad."

"When did that happen?" asked _Harry_ as he wanted to know where this fit in with his parents' friendship."

"Middle of fifth year," Sirius answered. "Well before OWLs."

**They're all hoping they're going to get you to take them to Slughorn's party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably work —"**

"At least you have confidence in us," muttered Fred.

"Of the wrong sort," said Percy. "You two really shouldn't sell love potions."

"They don't anymore," said _Ron_. "There were a few incidents …"

"What kind of incidents?" asked Molly.

"Nothing directly dangerous," Ron answered.

"So they were indirectly dangerous?" supplied Bill.

"Yeah," Ron admitted, "but the situations when they were indirectly dangerous didn't have anything to do with the twins."

"Thus making them indirect," said Charlie with a laugh.

"Not the least of which was me smelling them," muttered _Harry_.

"When did this happen?" asked _Ginny_.

"When George and I went to the shop that May," _Harry_ answered as quickly and as vaguely as he could.

"Oh," said _Ginny_. "You smelled me?"

"Yeah, it wasn't the best way for George to find out," _Harry_ said. "He did threaten me, but thankfully nothing happened."

"Good, because otherwise he'd find himself on the receiving end of a Bat-Bogey-Hex," said _Ginny_ firmly.

**"Why didn't you confiscate them then?" demanded Harry, it seemed extraordinary that Hermione's mania for upholding the rules could have abandoned her at this crucial juncture.**

"**They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," said Hermione scornfully, "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt the Half-blood prince" she gave the book another scornful look "could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once,**

"I wouldn't put it past him to try," muttered _Harry_. He was fairly certain Snape could've managed to make just that antidote or at the very least, try.

"Will you ever tell us who he is?" asked Sirius.

"Nope," said _Harry_, "but you'll find out."

"That phrase is really getting annoying," Sirius muttered.

**I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate."**

"Who, a bunch of silly girls?" wondered Tonks.

"Hopefully you're including yourself in that statement," said Charlie.

"Oi!"

"**There isn't anyone I want to invite," mumbled Harry, who was still not trying to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.**

"**Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business." said Hermione grimly.**

"And she did," muttered _Harry_.

"Don't tell me she succeeded!" said Sirius in astonishment.

"Technically no," _Harry_ said. "But in a way, yes."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" asked Bill.

"You'll understand shortly," said _Ron_ with a glare at _Harry_. "I think it should be coming up in the next couple of chapters, but it will be in this book at any rate."

**She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Harry watched her with his mind a long way away.**

"**Hang on a moment," he said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"**

"And that will make everyone want it," said Remus. "Honestly, the way to make people do illegal things is to write them down."

"Which is why the majority of the Quidditch fouls are kept secret," muttered Sirius.

"Because idiots like you would try to perform every foul," added Remus.

"I wouldn't attack someone with an axe!" cried Sirius, "well, maybe my brother, but no one else."

"Sirius!" Remus said.

"Wait, that's an actual foul?" asked little Harry. "What other silly ones are there?"

"Well, the range from setting fire to an opponents broom to turning the referee's broom into a Portkey."

"What would happen if someone had the Animagus form of some type of bird and turned into that during a match?" asked Bill.

"You mean like a falcon or some other bird with excellent eyesight?" Charlie asked in confirmation. When Bill nodded, he continued, "You'd get fouled for unfair advantage."

"**And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?"**

"Never," said Sirius and the twins together.

**asked Hermione, still concentrating on her essay.**

"**But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls are able to bring love potions into the school?"**

"**Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," said Hermione. "It's part of their Owl order service."**

"Boys!"

"You've got to admit, that is quite clever of them," said Arthur.

"**You know a lot about it."**

**Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just given his copy of Advanced Potion-Making.**

"So I'm on the same level as a book then, eh?" asked _Harry_.

"**It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer," she said coldly, "I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks… or pretending too either, which is just as bad…"**

"No it isn't!" cried the twins, Bill, and both of the Rons and Harrys.

"**Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school —?"**

"That is an excellent theory, but Dark objects cannot be disguised," said Remus.

"Thankfully," said Sirius with a shudder. Everything would be a lot more dangerous if Dark Objects could be disguised as everyday objects.

"**Oh, Harry… not that again…"**

"**Come on, why not?" demanded Harry.**

"**Look," sighed Hermione, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find dark magic and dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one in the necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register — anyway Love potions aren't dark or dangerous -"**

**"They certainly can be if that's how the darkest wizard of all times was conceived," muttered Tonks.**

"**Easy for you to say," muttered Harry, thinking of Romilda Vane.**

"— **so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from —"**

**Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulture-like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.**

"**The library is now closed," she said, "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct — what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?"**

"It's just a book," Sirius muttered.

"**It isn't the library's, it's mine!" said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a claw-like hand.**

"**Spoiled!" she hissed. "Desecrated, befouled!"**

**"She's acting as if it's damaged beyond use," said Bill with a shake of his head. "Harry has proved that this book is even more useful than the regular potions book."**

"**It's just a book that's been written on!" said Harry, tugging it out of her grip.**

**She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.**

"**She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?"**

"**It's not my fault she's barking mad, Hermione. Or d'you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something between them…"**

"Oh, Merlin _Harry_, please don't go there," begged Sirius. "Filch and Pince are bad enough alone. I do not want to imagine what would happen if they reproduced."

"Sirius, you've now corrupted all of our brains," said _Harry_, though he was amused.

"**Oh, ha ha…"**

**Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.**

"At least you're mostly acting like normal teenagers should," said Remus.

"**Baubles" said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.**

"**Same to you," said the fat lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forward to admit them.**

"**Hi, Harry!" said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a gillywater?"**

"She certainly doesn't know the first things about subtly," said Bill.

"And that's probably a good thing," Charlie added. "It'll help _Harry_ to avoid her."

**Hermione gave him a "what-did-I-tell-you?" look over her shoulder.**

"**No thanks," said Harry quickly. "I don't like it much."**

"**Well, take these anyway," said Romilda, thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got Firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."**

"What gran sends a third year chocolates with Firewhiskey?" asked Remus, though the actual chocolates did sound good.

"I highly doubt her grandmother sent them," said Molly, wondering if there was something more to these chocolates than just Firewhiskey.

"Stupid chocolates," muttered _Ron_.

"Don't diss the chocolate!" said a horrified Remus.

"You would if you knew the trouble they caused," retorted _Ron_.

"Like what?" asked Sirius worriedly and even Remus looked concerned while wondering what types of problems chocolate could cause.

"All for you to find out in good time," _Harry_ said quickly. Those chocolates had caused quite an adventure between _Ron_ acting crazy and nearly dying. Now that he thought about it, most of the circumstances, minus the mead, were quite amusing. It wasn't every day you could see your best friend on the wrong side of a love potion.

"**Oh — right — thanks a lot." said Harry, who could not think what else to say. "Er — I ' m just going over here with…"**

**He hurried off behind Hermione, his voice tailing away feebly.**

"**Told you," said Hermione succinctly, " Sooner you ask someone, sooner they'll all leave you alone and you can —"**

**But her face suddenly turned blank; she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were intertwined in the same armchair.**

Once again, little Ron looked as if he were about to be sick.

"**Well, good night, Harry" said Hermione, though it was only seven o'clock in the evening, and she left for the girls' dormitory without another word.**

**Harry went to bed comforting himself that there was only one more day of lessons to struggle through, plus Slughorn's party, after which he and Ron would depart together for the Burrow. It now seemed impossible that Ron and Hermione would make up with each other before the holidays began, but perhaps, somehow, the break would give them time to calm down, think better of their behaviour…**

**But his hopes were not high, and they sank still lower after enduring a Transfiguration lesson with them both next day. They had just embarked upon the immensely difficult topic of human transfiguration; working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the colour of their own eyebrows. Hermione laughed unkindly at Ron's disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar moustache;**

"It looked horrible!" cried _Ron_.

"Maybe to you, but I actually kind of liked it," answered _Hermione_ with a smile.

"Really?" _Ron_ asked in amazement and _Hermione_ nodded.

**Ron retaliated by doing a cruel but accurate impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question,**

"_Ronald_!"

"Molly, I deserved it," said _Hermione_ quietly. "Yes, we all did stupid things this year, but for the most part, after the initial actions, they were justifiable in a certain light."

**which Lavender and Parvati found deeply amusing and which reduced Hermione to the verge of tears again. She raced out of the classroom on the bell, leaving half her things behind; Harry, deciding that her need was greater than Ron's just now, scooped up her remaining possessions and followed her.**

**He finally tracked her down as she emerged from a girl's bathroom on the floor below. She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back.**

"**Oh, hello, Harry," said Luna. "Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?"**

"Ah, self-Transfiguration," sighed Dumbledore. "It's quite amusing what happens sometimes during that lesson."

"You would like students making fools of themselves," muttered Arthur, remembering that lesson , many of his friends had changed their hair colour, added an extra eyebrow somewhere on their body, and other odd changes.

"**Hi, Luna. Hermione, you left your stuff…"**

**He held out her books.**

"**Oh, yes," said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact she was wiping her eyes with her pencil case. "Thank you, Harry. Well, I'd better get going…"**

**And she hurried off, without ever giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any.**

"**She's a bit upset," said Luna. "I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about Ron Weasley…"**

"**Yeah, they've had a row," said Harry.**

"I'd call it more than a row," said _Ginny_. "It's like being in no-man's-land when the two of them are angry with each other."

"Yeah, when they're really angry at each other they can be at each others throats," said _Harry_.

"Sometimes they're at each others throats even when they aren't fully angry with each other," corrected _Ginny_.

"We're not that bad, are we?" asked _Hermione_.

"Not as much as you used to and hopefully it will be better since you're no longer pregnant," said _Ginny_.

"But now I have a baby, so I'll be even more sleep deprived, thus making me more prone to loosing my temper," _Hermione_ added.

"Basically, I'll avoid you then," said _Ron_.

"Oi! I'll need your help," said _Hermione_ rather sharply.

"**He says funny things sometimes, doesn't he?" said Luna as they set off down the corridor together. "But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year."**

"**I s'pose," said Harry. Luna was demonstrating her usual knack of speaking uncomfortable truths; he had never met anyone quite like her. "So have you had a good term?"**

"**Oh, it's been all right," said Luna. "A bit lonely without the D.A. Ginny's been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me 'Loony' the other day —"**

George gasped and stared at the next line.

"What happened?" asked Molly quickly.

"**How would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight?"**

"Wow, _Harry_," said Sirius in surprise.

"I was starting to get desperate," _Harry_ muttered, "but I do enjoy spending time Luna."

**The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could stop them; he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.**

**Luna turned her protuberant eyes to him in surprise.**

"**Slughorn's party? With you?"**

"**Yeah," said Harry, "We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like… I mean…" He was keen to make his intentions perfectly clear. "I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don't want to…"**

**He was already half hoping that she didn't want to.**

"_Harry_!" Molly admonished.

"I had bad luck asking girls places," _Harry_ muttered as she thought of his disastrous attempts with Cho and Parvati.

**"Oh no, I'd love to go with you as friends!" said Luna, beaming as he had never seen her beam before.**

"**Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that why you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I dye mine too?"**

"That would be quite the fashion statement," said Tonks with a grin, and to emphasize, she turned one of her eyebrows bright yellow.

"**No" said Harry firmly, "That was a mistake. I'll get Hermione to put it right for me. So I'll meet you in the entrance hall at eight o'clock then."**

"**AHA!"**

"And we're discovered," sighed Luna. "You know, it's good luck for that to happen."

"Luna, sometimes people like to keep these things private," said Charlie.

** screamed a voice from overhead and both of them jumped; unnoticed by either of them, they had just passed underneath Peeves,**

"And he's the worst to find out a secret first," said Tonks with a shake of her head.

** who was hanging upside down from a chandelier and grinning maliciously at them.**

"**Potty asked Loony to go to the party! Potty lurves Loony! Potty luuuuuurves Looooony!"**

"So, the entirety of Hogwarts will know in about fifty seconds," said Bill.

"And you know this how?" asked Remus.

"Experiment," said Bill quickly as his face turned red. He had gotten in huge trouble with McGonagall for the prank he had played. In his fourth year, he had been curious to see how fast a rumour could spread should Peeves hear it right off, so he had muttered something about McGonagall having ice cream for the entire school within Peeves hearing. Needless to say, less than a minute later nearly the whole school was running towards McGonagall's office. It didn't end very well, both for himself and the rest of the school, Peeves included.

"Oh yeah," said Charlie, "everyone was so mad at you, including me. You could've at least let me in on the prank."

"Sorry, Charlie," apologized Bill. "If I ever have the audacity to do something like that again, I'll let you know."

**And he zoomed away cackling and shrieking, "Potty loves Loony!"**

"**Nice to keep these things private," said Harry. And sure enough, in no time at all the whole school seemed to know that Harry Potter was taking Luna Lovegood to Slughorn's party.**

"**You could've taken anyone!" said Ron in disbelief over dinner. "Anyone! And you chose Loony Lovegood?"**

_"Ronald!"_

"**Don't call her that, Ron!" snapped Ginny,**

"You're one to talk," said Tonks. "You called her that in the fifth book."

_Ginny_ bit her lip as she tried to figure out an answer, but Luna beat her to it. "There is a difference between being called a name in friendship and being called a name," Luna said simply. "It could be the same, but the reaction and meaning depend on the action and person behind it."

** pausing behind Harry on her way to join friends. "I'm really glad you're taking her Harry, she's so excited."**

"Luna really is a very sweet girl," said _Harry_. "It takes a bit to get past her rather interesting personality, but I do love hanging out and chatting with her."

Luna stared at Harry in surprise. That was the first time when someone said they enjoyed spending time with her, except for her parents or little Ginny.

**And she moved on down the table to sit with Dean. Harry tried to feel pleased that Ginny was glad he was taking Luna to the party but could not quite manage it. A long way along the table Hermione was sitting alone, playing with her stew. Harry noticed Ron looking at her furtively.**

"**You could say sorry," suggested Harry bluntly.**

"**What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?" muttered Ron.**

"I wasn't in the best mood for an apology," said _Hermione_ slowly, "so you probably would've gotten attacked again and it might've been worse."

"What's worse than canaries?" wondered George.

"You don't want to know," said Ron awkwardly, who had gotten on the wrong side of Hermione multiple times over the past nine months.

"**What did you have to imitate her for?"**

"**She laughed at my moustache!"**

"**So did I, it was the stupidest thing I've ever seen."**

"You just don't have the right face to pull one off," said _Harry_.

"But Hermione said that I looked good with it on!" _Ron_ defended.

"She's your wife! What else would she say?" _Harry_ asked.

"The truth," _Ginny_ answered. "And if she said it looked good, then it would."

"Okay, okay," said _Harry_ as he slowly backed away from his wife. He didn't want to anger her any more than she already was. He was dreading the final book as there were some events in it that _Ginny_ still didn't know and he knew that he better be prepared for a major temper outbreak.

**But Ron did not seem to have heard; Lavender had just arrived with Parvati. Squeezing herself in between Harry and Ron, Lavender flung her arms around Ron's neck.**

**"I'm not a horse," muttered little Ron. He was getting tired of hearing about Lavender and hoped that she'd exit the book soon.**

"**Hi, Harry," said Parvati who, like Harry, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behaviour of their two friends.**

"**Hi," said Harry, "How're you? You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave."**

"**I managed to talk them out of it for the time being," said Parvati. "That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn't been anything since… **

"But it's bound to come," sighed Bill, "and most likely it will happen in June."

"What makes you say that?" asked Charlie.

"The Philosopher's Stone rescue took place in June, Harry entered the Chamber of Secrets in June, he met Sirius and found out he was innocent in June, the final task of the Triwizard tournament and Voldemort's return happen in June, the battle in the Department of Mysteries took place in June, so logically, whatever the next event is, it should take place in June," Bill said.

"Someone didn't give Voldy that memo," whispered _Ron_ to _Harry_ and earning a snort. "The crazy end to seventh year was in May."

"What crazy event?" asked Molly. She had every right to be worried as each end of the school year was worse than the one before, though You-Know-Who's rise was probably the worse in a general view.

**Oh, hi, Hermione!"**

**Parvati positively beamed. Harry could tell that she was feeling guilty for having laughed at Hermione in Transfiguration. He looked around and saw that Hermione was beaming back, if possible even more brightly. Girls were very strange sometimes.**

"I think that answer can be changed to 'always'," said Remus.

"Says the guy with the least amount of girl experience," muttered Sirius.

"Thus making my views the most objective, rather than subjective," Remus answered calmly.

"**Hi, Parvati!" said Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"**

"**No invite," said Parvati gloomily. "I'd love to go, though, it sounds like it's going to be really good… You're going, aren't you?"**

"**Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight, and we're —"**

"You're going with McLaggen?" asked Charlie, his mouth gaping.

"It was a really dumb idea and I fully regret doing it," _Hermione_ said quickly. "Please, try to ignore it."

"Okay, I'll try," said Charlie, though his eyes were still wide in horror.

Little Hermione eyed her older self with suspicion. Why on earth would she go out with a bully? Unless …, she gave a slight gasp. Was her future self doing this to further infuriate _Ron_?

**There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink, and Ron surfaced. Hermione acted as though she had not seen or heard anything.**

"— **we're going up to the party together."**

"**Cormac?" said Parvati. "Cormac McLaggen, you mean?"**

"**That's right," said Hermione sweetly. "The one who almost" - she put a great deal of emphasis on the word — "became Gryffindor Keeper."**

"That's definitely rubbing salt in the wound," winced Bill.

_Hermione_ had the grace to look ashamed. "Look, I went overboard with what I did and I know it was wrong. I just didn't know how to go about letting Ron know that I liked him."

"You could've just blurted it out," said _Ginny_.

"Well, she did, in a way," said _Ron_.

"In front of me!" said _Harry_.

"It was revenge for what you did in front of me!" _Ron_ retorted.

"What?" shouted Molly. "What on earth did you do with _Ginny_ in front of Ron?"

"It isn't what you think!" said _Harry_ in horror, hoping Molly's thoughts hadn't gone where he thought they had. "And you'll find out soon. It wasn't anything bad."

"**Are you going out with him, then?" asked Parvati, wide-eyed.**

"**Oh - yes - didn't you know?" said Hermione, with a most un-Hermione-ish giggle.**

"**No!" said Parvati, looking positively agog at this piece of gossip. "Wow, you like your Quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, then McLaggen."**

"And then me!" said _Ron_ proudly.

"**I like really good Quidditch players," Hermione corrected her,**

"And you're part of it," said _Hermione_ quietly.

**still smiling. "Well, see you… Got to go and get ready for the party…"**

**She left. At once Lavender and Parvati put their heads together to discuss this new development, with everything they had ever heard about McLaggen, and all they had ever guessed about Hermione. Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing. Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.**

"That's mild revenge," assured Tonks. "You should've heard the stories my mother told."

"Oh yeah," said Sirius. "She did take a lot of anger out on her sisters when they discovered she liked Ted."

"What did she do?" asked little Ron.

"I think it involved a lot of hexing, a few pranks, and general chaos around their house," said Tonks.

**When he arrived in the entrance hall at eight o'clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice. Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her butterbeer cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs.**

"So regular clothing," said Luna softly.

**"Hi," he said. "Shall we get going then?"**

"**Oh yes," she said happily. "Where is the party?"**

"**Slughorn's office," said Harry, leading her up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. "Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?"**

"**Rufus Scrimgeour?" asked Luna.**

"He's not a vampire," muttered Charlie, who was still wondering where Luna got these ridiculous, yet interesting ideas and theories.

"**I - what?" said Harry, disconcerted. "You mean the Minister of Magic?"**

**"Yes, he's a vampire," said Luna matter-of-factly. "Father wrote a very long article about it when Scrimgeour first took over from Cornelius Fudge, but he was forced not to publish by somebody from the Ministry. Obviously, they didn't want the truth to get out!"**

"Or it was so ridiculous that they didn't want it published," muttered little Hermione.

**Harry, who thought it most unlikely that Rufus Scrimgeour was a vampire, but who was used to Luna repeating her father's bizarre views as though they were fact, did not reply; they were already approaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.**

"At least you're not lost," said Fred.

**Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.**

"**Harry, m'boy!" boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Harry and Luna had squeezed in through the door. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"**

**Slughorn was wearing a tasselled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party; Harry seized Luna's hand and dragged her along with him.**

"**Harry, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires — and, of course, his friend Sanguini."**

"Is it smart to have a vampire in a room with a bunch of people?" asked Arthur warily.

"I'm certain Slughorn and Worple will keep an eye out," assured Dumbledore.

**Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry's hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited.**

"On second thought, perhaps it is really dangerous," said Sirius. "Harry, just stay away from him."

"**Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!" said Worple, peering shortsightedly up into Harry's face. "I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, 'Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?'"**

"Is this it?" asked little Ginny.

"Sort of," _Harry_ admitted. "It's going to be very limited in the wizarding world, if it's released at all."

"Why?"

"Because there are things in it that I don't want everyone to know," said _Harry_. "The first few books have been published as fiction in the Muggle world and the only way any wizards will find them would be if they went to a Muggle bookshop."

"**Er," said Harry, "were you?"**

"**Just as modest as Horace described!" said Worple. "But seriously"— his manner changed; it became suddenly business-like — "I would be delighted to write it myself — people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four- or five-hour sessions, **

"Four or five hours?" asked a horrified little Harry.

"Don't worry, it didn't happen," assured _Harry_.

**why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you — ask Sanguini here if it isn't quite — Sanguini, stay here!" added Worple, suddenly stern, for the vampire had been edging toward the nearby group of girls, a rather hungry look in his eye. **

"And that's why you shouldn't have vampires at parties," muttered Sirius.

"**Here, have a pasty," said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini's hand before turning his attention back to Harry.**

"**My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea —"**

"I don't need money," said little Harry. "I have too much."

"**I'm definitely not interested," said Harry firmly, "and I've just seen a friend of mine, sorry." He pulled Luna after him into the crowd; he had indeed just seen a long mane of brown hair disappear between what looked like two members of the Weird Sisters.**

"**Hermione! Hermione!"**

"**Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!"**

"**What's happened to you?" asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly dishevelled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare.**

"McLaggen can certainly be described as clingy as a Devil's Snare," said _Hermione_.

"**Oh, I've just escaped — I mean, I've just left Cormac,"**

"Good," said Bill. "He deserves to be left behind."

**she said. "Under the mistletoe," she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her**

"**Serves you right for coming with him," he told her severely.**

"**I thought he'd annoy Ron most," said Hermione dispassionately. "I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole —"**

"I thought McLaggen would annoy _Ron_ more," _Hermione_ finished.

"It did, but it's all behind us now," said _Ron_ gently.

"**You considered Smith?" said Harry, revoked.**

"**Yes, I did, and I'm starting to wish I'd chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let's go this way, we'll be able to see him coming, he's so tall…" The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, realizing too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there alone.**

"**Hello," said Luna politely to Professor Trelawney.**

"**Good evening, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon Luna with some difficulty. Harry could smell cooking sherry again. "I haven't seen you in my classes lately…"**

"**No, I've got Firenze this year," said Luna.**

"Who's a lot better of a professor," said Bill firmly.

"**Oh, of course," said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse?**

Charlie gasped. "She better not ever let him know that she called him a horse."

**But no… we share classes… It's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know…"**

**Professor Trelawney seemed too tipsy to have recognized Harry. Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, Harry drew closer to Hermione and said, "Let's get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper try-outs?"**

"I wish you had told me," muttered _Ron_.

"I'm sorry," _Hermione_ apologized. "It never crossed my mind to do so."

"It's fine," said _Ron_, 'it was so long ago."

**Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"**

**Harry looked at her shrewdly. "Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen —"**

"**There's a difference," said Hermione with dignity. "I've got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Keeper try-outs."**

"**Good," said Harry fervently. "Because he'll just fall apart again, and we'll lose the next match —"**

"Is that all you ever think about?" asked _Hermione_.

"**Quidditch!" said Hermione angrily. "Is that all boys care about?**

Choruses of "Yes" and "No" circulated around the room.

** Cormac hasn't asked me one single question about myself, no, I've just been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen' nonstop ever since — oh no, here he comes!" She moved so fast it was as though she had Disapparated; one moment she was there, the next, she had squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.**

"**Seen Hermione?" asked McLaggen, forcing his way through the throng a minute later.**

"**No, sorry," said Harry, and he turned quickly to join in Luna's conversation, forgetting for a split second to whom she was talking.**

"**Harry Potter!" said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time.**

"**Oh, hello," said Harry unenthusiastically.**

"**My dear boy!" she said in a very carrying whisper. "The rumours! The stories! 'The Chosen One'! Of course, I have known for a very long time… The omens were never good, Harry… But why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!"**

"It's closer to a load of trash," muttered Charlie.

"**Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" said a loud voice, and Slughorn appeared at Professor Trelawney s other side, his face very red, his velvet hat a little askew, a glass of mead in one hand and an enormous mince pie in the other. "But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" said Slughorn, regarding Harry with a fond, if bloodshot, eye. "Instinctive, you know — like his mother! I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybill — why even Severus —"**

"Hopefully Snape doesn't hear that," winced Tonks.

**And to Harry's horror, Slughorn threw out an arm and seemed to scoop Snape out of thin air toward them.**

"Shoot," muttered Fred.

**"Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!" hiccupped Slughorn happily. "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"**

"That won't go over very well," winced Bill.

**Trapped, with Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed.**

"**Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."**

"And you didn't," Sirius growled.

Once again, _Harry_ wondered what everyone would think when the identity of the Half-Blood-Prince was discovered.

"**Well, then, it's natural ability!" shouted Slughorn. "You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death — never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus —"**

"**Really?" said Snape quietly, his eyes still boring into Harry, who felt a certain disquiet. The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his newfound brilliance at Potions.**

"**Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" asked Slughorn.**

"**Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology…"**

"**All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," said Snape with the faintest sneer.**

"**Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly.**

**"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn.**

"**I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," said Luna unexpectedly.**

"What?" asked Tonks. "He's perfect for the position!"

"She explains why," said George and he started to read again.

** Everybody looked at her. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're planning to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."**

"Okay," said an amused Sirius slowly.

**Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh. Really, it had been worth bringing Luna just for this. Emerging from his goblet, coughing, sopping wet but still grinning, he saw something calculated to raise his spirits even higher:**

"What?" asked Fleur eagerly.

** Draco Malfoy**

"How on earth can that git make you happy?" asked a horrified Bill.

** being dragged by the ear**

"Oh, yes!" said little Ginny. "Who's doing it?"

** toward them by Argus Filch.**

"Yes!" cried Tonks. "Pretty boy Malfoy is in trouble."

"Finally," said Sirius.

"At least he's starting to get what he deserves," said Neville firmly.

"**Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"**

"No, and thank Merlin," said _Ginny_. "The party was bad enough without him there."

**Malfoy pulled himself free of Filch's grip, looking furious. "All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gate crash, happy?"**

"No," said nearly the entire room.

**"No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that night-time prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"**

**"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco.**

"Damnit!" said Bill angrily. "Why does that git have to stay? I thought Slughorn didn't want him around!"

"I don't know," _Harry_ admitted.

**Filich's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy?**

"He was trying to do something other than gate crash," said Fred mysteriously.

"Thank you for that extremely insightful remark," Percy replied while keeping a extremely calm composure.

Fred stared bug-eyed at his older brother. "Was that another joke, Perce?" he asked.

"Maybe," said Percy. "Or maybe not."

** And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and… was it possible?… a little afraid?**

**But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.**

"**It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all…"**

"**He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known…"**

"And now he'll try buttering Slughorn up," sighed Sirius.

**Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly greyish tinge to his skin.**

"**I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly.**

"**Now, Severus," said Slughorn, hiccupping again, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard —"**

"**I am his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly. "Follow me, Draco."**

"He's never punished Draco before and I doubt it'll start now," huffed Sirius.

**They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute, then said, "I'll be back in a bit, Luna — er — bathroom."**

"_Harry_, I hope that following Malfoy doesn't become a habit," said Remus.

_Harry_ quickly shook his head. "It doesn't," he said, "and I only do it when I have to."

"**All right," she said cheerfully, and he thought he heard her, as he hurried off into the crowd, resume the subject of the Rotfang Conspiracy with Professor Trelawney, who seemed sincerely interested.**

**It was easy, once out of the party, to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, for the corridor was quite deserted. What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor, the noise of his feet masked by the music and loud talk still issuing from Slughorn's office behind him. Perhaps Snape had taken Malfoy to his office in the dungeons… or perhaps he was escorting him back to the Slytherin common room… Harry pressed his ear against door after door as he dashed down the corridor until, with a great jolt of excitement, he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.**

"… **cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled —"**

"It would be wonderful for the entire school," George continued.

"George!"

"Mum, you know it's the truth!" George protested.

"Just read whatever the words in the book say and don't change or add anything."

"**I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"**

"Do with what?" asked little Ginny.

"Probably it 'as to do with ze incident involving ze Bell girl," Fleur answered.

"**I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."**

"**Who suspects me?" said Malfoy angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about —**

"Katie isn't the type of have enemies," said _Ginny_. "Did he honestly think that would work?"

**don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work — I can stop you!"**

**There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, "Ah… Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"**

"**I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in!" **

"And if that's not keeping secrets, call me a kitty," said Sirius, crossing his arms.

To those looking, a mischievous grin crossed Tonks' face and they knew that she was going to carry out Sirius' statement.

"Here kitty, kitty," said Tonks. "Come here, kitty."

Sirius glared at his cousin and after gently transferring little Harry to Remus' lap, transformed into a dog. Then he bounded across the room, landed in Tonks' lap, and began to lick her face.

"Stop! Stop!" cried Tonks as she tried to get out of the way, but Sirius didn't let her go. Finally, he got tired of attacking his cousin and went back to his seat.

"Don't call me that again," he said firmly after he had transformed back.

"You said to call you that," Tonks teased.

"If it wasn't keeping secrets, which it's bound to be," retorted Sirius.

"Will you ever act your age?" Remus groaned, but he was very thankful that Sirius was starting to get his playful nature back, at least a bit. Whenever Sirius was serious, it had to be bad and these books were bringing out that nature. Remus also knew that Sirius would always be different because of his years in Azkaban, but he hoped that with help, Sirius would become close to normal again and licking Tonks was certainly an improvement.

Meanwhile everyone else had been staring at Sirius and Tonks while struggling not to laugh.

**Harry pressed his ear still more closely against the keyhole… **

**What had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like this — Snape, toward whom he had always shown respect, even liking?**

"**So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco —"**

"They'd be dead," said Bill. Molly glared at him sharply, but he ignored it.

"Snape would not go that far," said Remus, "but they certainly would be in major trouble."

"**So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy.**

**There was another pause. Then Snape said, "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."**

"Because of his love for his Snakes or is it something more sinister?" wondered Percy.

"Or both?" suggested Charlie.

"**You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"**

"**Listen to me," said Snape, his voice so low now that Harry had to push his ear very hard against the keyhole to hear. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco —"**

"**Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! **

"But breaking the Vow means death," said Arthur in a quiet, but horrified tone. "I don't like either Malfoy or Snape's company, but neither of them should wish the other dead."

"Malfoy wasn't in the best of moods at this point," said _Harry_. "I know that he didn't truly mean his words there, but at the same time, he didn't want a professor meddling."

**It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"**

"And hopefully it will never work," said Sirius darkly.

"But it will," said Fleur. She too wished that this plan wouldn't come to be, but as it involved Harry Potter, it would.

"**What is your plan?"**

**"It's none of your business!"**

"**If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you…"**

"**I have all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"**

"If you call Crabbe and Goyle helpers," muttered _Ron_.

"**You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes —"**

"**I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"**

"**Keep your voice down!" spat Snape, for Malfoy's voice had risen excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L this time around, **

"Well, it figures that they failed," said Tonks. "How many times can someone repeat their OWLs anyway?"

"I don't know," said Remus. "It rarely happens, but sometimes it does."

"You were given a chance to repeat your Potions OWL," Sirius pointed out.

"Yeah, but it didn't have anything to do with lack of understanding," said Remus. "I understood the theory decently, but I completely lack the ability to brew them."

"And that coincides with the fact that you were able to burn water," finished Sirius. "You truly are a disaster in the kitchen."

**they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres —"**

"**What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "Defence Against the Dark Arts — its all just a joke, isn't it, an act?**

"Defence is one of the most important subjects," said Arthur. "Even if one doesn't think so."

** Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts —"**

"You'd be surprised how many times Defence has saved your sorry arce," growled Sirius.

"**It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle —"**

"**They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"**

"Like who?" asked Sirius. He was hoping that the boy was simply pretending to have more on his side than he actually did, but knowing what Malfoys were like, this was a hopeless hope.

"Probably Burgin and maybe Greyback," said Remus slowly. Draco was clearly a Death Eater and that meant he was probably associating with other Death Eaters. "He was in Burgin's shop and threatened him with Greyback if he didn't cooperate."

"Shit," Sirius said under his breath. Thankfully none of the mothers heard him. "Of course he'd associate with them." He turned to Harry and said, "Please tell me that he doesn't succeed."

Harry bit his lip. Technically, Draco didn't succeed as that night hadn't gone like he had planned, but in a different way, the night had gone according to plan. At last he said, "Technically, he didn't succeed, but in a way he did."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" asked Tonks.

"Clearly it means that Draco doesn't succeed, but someone else does," said Percy.

**"Then why not confide in me, and I can —"**

"**I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"**

_Harry_ sighed. Now that he understood exactly where Snape's loyalties had been, he could understand why he had acted like this. Snape was doing his best to live up to both Dumbledore and the Unbreakable Vow at the same time, without telling Draco that he knew everything that was going on.

**There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your fathers capture and imprisonment has upset you, but -"**

**Harry had barely a second's warning; he heard Malfoy's footsteps on the other side of the door and flung himself out of the way just as it burst open. Malfoy was striding away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office, around the distant corner, and out of sight.**

**Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. Harry remained on the floor, hidden beneath the cloak, his mind racing.**

"Well, that's it," said George.

"That certainly was an eventful chapter," said Bill. "And now you have a reasonable reason to follow Malfoy, apart from a hunch."

"It did help somewhat," _Harry_ said and that was true, but even then, it had been a headache trying to figure out what Malfoy had been up to.


	17. A Very Frosty Christmas

**_A/N Sorry about the wait, but I just haven't had the muse for this story and I don't want it to sound forced. I've just gotten home from vacation and I didn't have much time to write while on it. At any rate, I think this chapter is the longest one that I have written for this series.  
_**

**_Also, in three weeks I'll be headed off to college. I will still do my best to keep my stories updated, but they will probably slow down as I try to figure out my life as a student._**

_Harry_ took the book, knowing that this next event would not sit well with anyone in the room, but before he started, Molly announced that it was time for supper.

Once they were finished, and James and Rose had gone down for bed, they settled down to read a few more chapters before bedtime for the rest of them.

**A Very Frosty Christmas**

"Temperature or temperament?" asked Bill.

"It could very well be both," Arthur answered slowly as he glanced at Percy, who shifted in his seat.

**'So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely _offering to help him?'_**

"Don't sound too surprised," said _Hermione_.

"Since when had Snape offered to help anyone?" _Ron_ asked as he threw up his arms. "I had a reason!"

"True, but you needn't be that shocked," _Hermione_ replied. "Snape's a Professor after all."

"A professor who had his head stuck up his arse," _Ron_ muttered under his breath.

"_Ronald_!" _Hermione_ said sharply. "You shouldn't speak ill of the … of professors!" She mentally kicked herself for her slip-up. Hermione didn't understand why, but it seemed like they when through phases in which it was really easy to avoid slip-ups, then fell back to the point where they were doing so constantly. Perhaps it was because the truth was getting close to being revealed, but they needed to make certain that none of the deaths were revealed before their times, though once again, she knew that certain people were suspicious of certain deaths.

Dumbledore looked curiously at _Hermione_, wondering what she had been about to say. He was certain that she had nearly said, 'One doesn't speak ill of the dead', but that would mean Severus would die sometime in the war. Dumbledore let out a small sigh, knowing that there was a very high chance of that happening, especially if Severus were to be discovered to by a double spy. He could only hope that he had misheard _Hermione_, but he knew that the chances of that were next to nothing.

**'If you ask that once more,' said Harry, 'I'm going to stick this sprout –'**

"_Harry_!" said Sirius.

"Relax, I don't think I was going to do it!" said _Harry_ in defence.

**'I'm only checking!' said Ron. They were standing alone at The Burrow's kitchen sink, peeling a mountain of sprouts for Mrs Weasley. Snow was drifting past the window in front of them.**

**_'Yes, Snape was offering to help him!' _said Harry. 'He said he'd promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, that he'd made an Unbreakable Oath or something –'**

**'An Unbreakable Vow?' said Ron, looking stunned. 'Nah, he can't have ... are you sure?'**

**'Yes, I'm sure,' said Harry. 'Why, what does it mean?' **

**'Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow ...' **

"Thanks for that wonderful insight," said _Hermione _sarcastically.

"Oi!" _Ron_ cried. "I might be obvious at times, but at least I say what I mean right away."

"That's because you're a guy," _Hermione_ retorted. "Guys generally are more obvious than girls. We know how to be subtle.

"Don't get all stereotypical please," _Harry_ begged. "Both of you could work on tact, and yes, Hermione, at moments you can work on explaining yourself better."

**'I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?' **

**'You die,' said Ron simply. **

"That's …curt," said Tonks slowly.

"Like I said, I'm obvious," replied _Ron_ proudly.

"Well, it does come in handy at moments," said _Harry_, "but you know, you have freaked out the new recruits at moments with your bluntness."

"Mad-Eye always believed in being blunt towards the new recruits," Sirius added. "He always said that not being blunt to them would turn them into softies."

"That does sound like something he'd say," agreed Remus. "So, _Ron_, I'm assuming you help to train the news Aurors."

"Yeah, I've just started," _Ron_ answered.

"And he's mighty good," _Harry_ added, "especially in the strategy department. In fact, one of his first homework assignments is to play a game of chess and see where the recruit lies in the strategy department."

"I managed to wipe one person out in five minutes," reminisced _Ron_. "The look on his face …"

"And there was the other recruit, the blond-haired girl who lasted, what, twenty-five minutes?"

"A twenty-five minute chess game when _Ron's_ involved?" asked a shocked Bill. "Wow, she must be good."

"She's one of the best," said _Harry_. "There's a really good group of Aurors coming into the department."

"They need it," Sirius stated. "That department always needs good recruits in it."

**'Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too,**

"They what?" asked a horrified _Hermione_.

"Uh, yeah, they did that," _Ron_ admitted, "but it happened so long ago and with everything that's happened …" Ron's voice drifted off as he tried to keep a steady composure.

"True," _Hermione_ admitted, "but I wasn't expecting to find out so many things in these books. I had figured that the three of us would know everything in the books."

"Well, that certainly isn't true," _Ron_ answered with a laugh. "_Harry_ keeps secrets like the dead sometimes."

"OI!" _Harry_ cried, though inwardly he was laughing.

"You are notorious for that at points," _Ginny_ pointed out rather slyly.

_Harry_ was unable to deny this accusation, so he decided it would be best to keep reading.

**I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,' said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. 'Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.'**

"It hasn't," assured Fred as he rubbed said part of his anatomy. With a sly grin, George whacked it while it was visible, earning a sudden pillow in his face.

Molly groaned and turned to glare at the twins, but Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let the boys be boys," he said. "They haven't destroyed anything for a few days, so be thankful for that."

"Yeah, it was Ginny and Neville doing that," said George.

"Accidentally," Molly corrected. "There's a big difference between destroying something accidentally with accidental magic than destroying something for a prank."

** 'Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock –'**

"Do you have any idea how wrong that sounds?" asked _Ginny_ with a shudder.

"Sorry?" apologized _Harry_ rather awkwardly.

**'I beg your pardon?' said Fred's voice as the twins entered the kitchen.**

"And of course they'd show that time to show up," muttered Bill.

"Talk about great timing," Charlie added.

"Which we always have," the twins announced proudly.

"If 'great timing' means arriving at the worst possible moment, then yes, you do have it," stated Bill.

"But what is your definition of 'worst possible moment'?" asked Sirius. "Their definition of said moment could be quite different than yours."

**'Aaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and every- thing. Bless them.'**

"Ha! I don't have to do that anymore!" said Bill proudly.

"Just you wait," said Charlie. "I'll be seventeen in two years."

**'I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time,' said Ron grumpily,**

"You're going to be all grown-up soon," cooed Molly, causing little Ron to look disgusted at his mother's choice of wording and _Ron_ to roll his eyes, though not in his mother's direction.

** 'and then I'll be able to do it by magic!'**

**'But meanwhile,' said George, sitting down at the kitchen table and putting his feet up on it, 'we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a – whoops-a- daisy.'**

"I didn't know there were different sizes of whoops-a-daisies," said Bill cheekily.

**'You made me do that!' said Ron angrily, sucking his cut thumb. **

"Boys!" reprimanded Molly.

"So that was the whoops-a-daisy," grinned Charlie.

**'You wait, when I'm seventeen –'**

"Uh oh, Ron turning seventeen is a vision that I can live without," said Charlie.

"It'll happen!" said little Ron. "You wait and see!"

**'I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills,' yawned Fred.**

"Seriously, what it with predictions?" asked _Harry_ with a shake of his head. Once _Ron_ had gotten over his confidence issue after the battle, he had surprised the entire world with what he could do, especially when it came to helping with the Auror training in recent years.

**'And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald,' said George, 'what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called – unless our information is faulty – Lavender Brown?'**

"Boys, don't tease your brother," said Molly.

"Mum!" cried an astonished George. "We're only nine!"

"I still want to know how they managed to find out," muttered _Ron_ under his breath.

"There were a lot of people at Hogwarts that year who shopped there," _Harry_ stated. "It would have been very easy for them to find out."

**Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts.**

**'Mind your own business.'**

**'What a snappy retort,' said Fred. 'I really don't know how you think of them. No, what we wanted to know was ... how did it happen?'**

"I don't know," _Ron_ sighed. "After that fiasco with _Hermione_, I just went into the common room with the vow to kiss the first girl I saw."

"You were really that much of an idiot?" _Ginny_ exclaimed. "_Ron_! I would've thought you'd at least have a better reason than that!"

"Well, it wasn't going to be an underclassman!" _Ron_ retorted. "And anyway, Lavender might be really annoying at moments, but at least her nose is straight and she doesn't look like a pug. I'm not a huge fan of her though."

**'What d'you mean?' **

**'Did she have an accident or something?' **

"What is zat supposed to mean?" wondered Fleur.

"Don't ask me how boys' minds work," stated _Hermione_. "They seem to always think the strangest things about how couples get together."

**'What?' **

**'Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage?'**

"Honestly, what is it with accidental predictions?" _Harry_ whispered to _Ron_, who shrugged. Lavender hadn't brain damage per se from the battle, but it certainly had been a horrific accident.

**'Careful, now!' Mrs Weasley entered the room just in time to see Ron throw the sprouts knife at Fred, who turned it into a paper aeroplane with one lazy flick of his wand.**

"_Ronald_!" said Molly angrily. "You know you don't throw knives, especially at your brothers!"

"Does that mean I can throw knives at my sisters?" asked _Ron_ sneakily.

"Sister!" shouted little Ginny. "And don't you do it!"

"Well, I do have three sisters-in-law," said _Ron _matter-of-factly, "so I think I have sisters in the plural now."

"So you finally are starting to learn about the technical grammatical terms," said _Hermione_.

"Oi!" cried _Ron_. "There ain't nothing wrong with me grammar."

"_Ronald,_" groaned _Hermione_.

**_ 'Ron!' _she said furiously. 'Don't you ever let me see you throwing knives again!'**

**'I won't,' said Ron, **

"Good," said Molly. _Harry_ grinned, knowing that she wouldn't like the next bit _Ron_ said.

**'let you see,'**

_"Ronald_," said Molly with a shake of her head, but it was to be expected. He was a teenage boy at this point after all.

** he added under his breath, as he turned back to the sprout mountain.**

**'Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two!'**

"Oh dear, that's going to be a crowded and dangerous bedroom," said Tonks. "You'll only need Charlie before you have a recipe for a destroyed house."

"So what is the recipe for a destroyed house?" asked Sirius, wondering if he could use it to destroy number Twelve.

"The Weasley twins, the Marauders, Bill, Charlie, your wands, a couple boxes of firecrackers, and maybe a few other prank items," Tonks answered.

"How did you figure that out?" asked Charlie.

"Easy," said Tonks. "Alone, you two, the twins, and the Marauders are dangerous, but together you equal a disaster waiting to happen."

"So, don't allow zem to be alone in ze same 'ouse?" said Fleur as she tried to understand Tonks' logic.

"Pretty much," said Remus, who understood Tonks' logic perfectly, despite being a Marauder himself.

"So, will the Burrow become a destroyed house because it has all of that criteria?" asked a wary Remus.

"No," Sirius answered. "Three of us don't have our wands, and there are two who are underage."

"But we don't need wands to cause chaos!" Fred shouted.

"Thankfully you don't have wands yet," sighed Molly. "I dread to think what will happen when you get them."

"You really didn't have a moment's peace until they were shipped off to Hogwarts," said _Ginny_, "and even then you got a letter about once a week from McGonagall."

**'No problem,' said George.**

**'Then, as Charlie isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, **

"Why do they get the entire attic to themselves?" asked Charlie. "They're the youngest and smallest."

"Uh no, actually the twins are the smallest," _Ginny_ pointed out. "Besides me of course. _Ron_ was several inches taller than the twins by the time sixth year rolled around and it's stayed that way. Charlie isn't much taller than h-they are though." _Ginny_ was surprised at how easily she was falling back into speaking of the twins as two, though she still did slip-up sometimes when talking about them. She still hoped that no one had caught one, but she knew that several people probably had.

"Still, they are the youngest," Charlie muttered.

"So they should get the best stuff," said Tonks. "Normally in large families the youngest get the best deal, especially if they're a different gender or there's a fairly large age gap between them and the next youngest."

"So I should be that one," said little Ginny eagerly.

"You're the only girl and the youngest, so that automatically grants the best stuff category," grinned Charlie.

Little Ron half-glared at his older brother. _It wasn't fair that he was the youngest of the boys, which meant that pretty-much everything he got was a hand-me-down. It wasn't fair that Ginny got everything new, but she was a girl, so that had to happen. Even the twins would sometimes get new things because there were two of them. Why did he have to be the one to get all of everyone else's junk?_

**and if Fleur shares with Ginny –' **

**'– that'll make Ginny's Christmas –' muttered Fred.**

"Why?" asked Fleur, though she knew the answer could be because she was French. At least right now they seemed to be more accepting, but she was still wary of everyone, especially Mrs Weasley.

**'– everyone should be comfortable. Well, they'll have a bed, anyway,' said Mrs Weasley, sounding slightly harassed.**

"Christmases at the Burrow are even crazier now," said _Harry_, a soft smile on his face. "Between all of the couples and the grandchildren to contend for, sometimes it's impossible to walk without tripping over someone's bedding."

"How come?" asked Molly. "Wouldn't they be in the bedrooms?"

"Well, the adults and babies are in the bedrooms, but the cousins age four and older are in the sitting room," said _Harry_. "They don't get a ton of sleep, but everyone is still quite happy."

"About how many are there?" wondered Arthur.

_Harry_ thought for a moment and said, "Well this Christmas we should have about twenty or so. Of course, there will be babies in arms, but there are still enough toddlers to cause chaos."

"And what's really nice is that everyone gets along quite well," _Ginny_ added. She knew that it was rare for their to be a family in which almost everyone got along beautifully, but her immediate family was blessed with the fact that everyone loved each other and had gotten over their difficulties.

"So everything's fine with me?" asked Percy, hardly daring to believe it. He already knew that he came back, but he knew that there would have to be some tenseness.

"I won't lie and say everything is perfect," _Ron_ stated, "but it's nearly perfect. We all have our fair share of arguments with each other, but everyone loves each other and enjoys spending time together."

"Good," said Percy in relief, thankful to know that things wouldn't be horribly different with his abandonment, which he was going to try to avoid this time.

**'Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?' asked Fred. **

"Sorry," Fred murmured in apology.

"H-How is it with Fred and me?" asked Percy suddenly. From the books, it seemed as if the twins were some of the most bothered by his leaving and he wished to know what they thought in the future.

_Ginny_ jerked back in surprise and sat there blinking for a couple of seconds before she finally managed to say in a voice she hoped was steady, "He was the first to forgive you." The image of Fred finishing Percy's sentence and being the first to welcome him back was one that would always stick in her mind.

Fred looked up in surprise. He wasn't exactly shocked that he was the first to welcome his brother back, but he had expected it to be his mother.

"Mum wasn't that far behind though," _Ginny_ added. "And after her, everyone else gradually forgave you." It really hadn't taken an overly long time for them to welcome Percy back into the family. Even George, who had been one of the last to forgive him, had done it within a few weeks of the battle.

"You'll hear the whole story in the next book," _Harry_ assured. He didn't want to get into the discussion quite yet as he didn't want to give any of the final book away.

**Mrs Weasley turned away before she answered. 'No, he's busy, I expect, at the Ministry.' **

Percy sighed and muttered something indistinguishable under his breath. _Why in the name of Merlin was he being such a bit idiot?_ It was such a relief to know that he did come home and was welcomed back to the family. Even though he hadn't done it yet, he could feel the slight tension between himself and the rest of his family and he didn't like that feeling at all.

**'Or he's the world's biggest prat,' said Fred, as Mrs Weasley left the kitchen. 'One of the two.**

"Who's the other?" asked little Ron.

"Um, I dunno," shrugged Fred.

"I have an idea, but I honestly don't want to say it," winced Bill. If it was right, he couldn't believe that the twins would compare Percy to such a person.

"Spit it out," Percy muttered. No comparisons could bother him at the moment knowing that it worked out, well, sort of. Nothing could ever mend a gap like the one he had created in the other time line, but if he could prevent the gap from every occurring, he didn't mind what people said or thought of his future actions. After all, time could be re-written, which is what the crazy guy with the blue box had said several times in that weird television show.

"I-I really don't want to say it," Bill said again.

Remus gasped when he realized what Bill was trying to say. "You honestly don't think …" He was horrified at the very idea of this comparison and couldn't even believe that it could be made.

"Yeah," admitted Bill. "I do think so, but I don't want to believe it."

Sirius didn't know what he should do. He wanted to hex the twins into the next century and back if his guess was correct, and he was certain it was what Remus and Bill had thought of as well. At the same time though, this comparison hadn't been made in this time line and he knew that no one should be punished for their future actions, no matter how stupid they were, but still, no comparison like that should ever be made unless the person actually deserved it.

"Can someone please explain what is going on?" asked Tonks after a few moments of silence. "Who's the other prat?"

Remus gave her a look that basically said, "It should be really obvious." A few seconds later Tonks gasped in horror and glared ferociously at the twins. She too was absolutely horrified that anyone could even think of making a comparison of this sort.

"What?" asked Fred. "What prat am I comparing Percy to?"

"The world's biggest one," said Bill as he tried to stay calm. "Do you two really have no idea?"

"No," said George. "And why is everyone glaring at us?"

"Because the comparison you made is the vilest one possible," said Bill. "You two better hope it isn't true and that you didn't mean it."

"What comparison?" asked Fred again. "Just tell us!"

It was quite obvious that no one wanted to say what they thought the comparison was. So Remus finally spoke up. "We think that you just might be comparing Percy to Voldemort."

At that statement, chaos broke loose in the house. The twins were staring wide-eyed at Remus, horrified at the very idea of comparing their brother to someone who definitely was the world's biggest prat. They couldn't believe that they went that far in their treatment of Percy. It was obvious that they didn't like him very much, but that didn't warrant a comparison of that degree. They looked around nervously and realized that everyone was either angrily glaring at them, looking disappointedly at them, or not looking at them whatsoever. Neither Fred nor George knew which look they preferred, but they both desperately wished that this would not happen to them in the future.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley and George Fabien Weasley!" shouted Molly. "How can you even think of such a comparison?" Her mind was racing at what she would do if she had found this out when it had happened. At any rate, she knew that it wouldn't have ended prettily, but she was still extremely angry that the twins, even though it was the future, could even think of such a thing.

"I don't know!" said Fred as he shrank back into the sofa. "I don't know!"

Percy had closed his eyes and was slowly counting to ten in order to keep from exploding in rage. He knew that he became a major prat, but he couldn't fathom that his brothers, his brothers! could compare him to You-Know-Who. How he was ever able to forgive them in the future was beyond him, so something big must have happened about the time he came back for them all the accept each other again, and especially for him and Fred. If Fred had made that comparison, why had he been the first to forgive him? Percy assumed that everyone grew up in some sense or other for him to come back.

Arthur sat there on the sofa as he looked sadly at his twin sons. He knew he couldn't punish them for any future actions, especially when there was a very high chance of them never happening, but at the same time, they really should know that they shouldn't make comparisons like that.

With a sigh Dumbledore closed his eyes and slowly shook his head in horror and shame. Like everyone else, he was horrified that anyone could think of such a thing, but at the same time, he was ashamed that two students who he thought would be excellent, turn out the way they did. Naturally, there was still a lot of hope for young Percival Weasley, but he felt it was his fault for why Tom Riddle had turned out the way he had. He wished people would be more gentle with their words and be more careful with what they stated, as he could see the horror and hurt on all of the Weasleys' faces.

If Charlie had every wanted to throttle his twin brothers, this was the time. He couldn't remember a moment when he was more horrified with the two of them than now. He agreed that Percy could be a prat at moments, but no one should ever make a comparison so vile, especially with a family member.

Little Ron and little Ginny didn't quite understand the full scale of the comparison, but they knew enough to understand that it was horrible and shouldn't even be thought of. Neville and Luna were having similar thoughts as well. None of the four youngest remembered the war, but they knew about it and what had happened. Especially after reading the books, and learning more about You-Know-Who, they were even more horrified at this comparison than they normally would be.

At last, Harry kept on reading, knowing that everyone would be relieved if he did so.

** Well, let's get going, then, George.'**

"You didn't even notice?" asked Molly in a stiff voice.

_Ron_ and _Harry_ shook their heads. "We weren't even thinking of looking for something like that," _Ron_ explained quietly. "I don't remember exactly when we realized the subtly of that statement, but it was a bit later and it was a shock."

**'What are you two up to?' asked Ron. 'Can't you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wand and then we'll be free, too!'**

"Don't you try to get out of work now," scolded Tonks as she morphed her face to look like Mrs Weasley's.

Fred and George stared bug-eyed at her in horror. "Please don't ever do that again!" George begged. "You'll give me nightmares."

"I give you nightmares?" inquired Molly.

"No, but two of you do," retorted George.

"Wise words," Bill affirmed his younger brother, though he was still very angry towards them from their statement mere sentences before.

**'No, I don't think we can do that,' said Fred seriously. 'It's very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic, makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs –'**

"But there are such things as food processors, choppers, and other kitchen equipment," stated little Hermione, "but it is good to learn how to do things by hand."

"What do those food possessors and choppers do?" Arthur asked eagerly.

"Not now, dear," Molly sighed.

"The word is processor and they puree, chop, and otherwise prepare food for cooking in a much faster way than ordinary chopping can," explained little Hermione quickly.

**'– and if you want people to help you, Ron,' added George, throwing the paper aeroplane at him, 'I wouldn't chuck knives at them. Just a little hint. We're off to the village, there's a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvellous ... almost like real magic ...'**

"You better not be using really magic," reprimanded Arthur.

"I highly doubt they'd were that dumb," said _Ron_. "The twins ha … have a lot of sense in them." Once again, he had nearly slipped up. _Ron_ had thought it would be easier to adjust to thinking of the twins as a unit again, but it was proving to be nearly impossible. _Ginny_ was having an easier time, but he could tell that she, _Harry_, and _Hermione_ were struggling at moments as well. He could only hope that no one had caught on yet, but he also knew that Bill and Charlie had caught his slip-up the other night. At least the truth would be revealed soon, but as much as he wished for the truth to be out so they didn't have to be careful, he didn't want his family to know this horrible fact about what had happened to them.

**'Gits,' said Ron darkly, watching Fred and George setting off across the snowy yard. 'Would've only taken them ten seconds and then we could've gone, too.'**

** 'I couldn't,' said Harry. 'I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't wander off while I'm staying here.'**

"I don't think going into town quite counts as wandering off, but it's probably best to play it safe," said Bill. "Especially as Ottery St. Catchpole is a Muggle town unlike Hogsmeade."

"It does make the chance of an attack less, but if an attack would happen, the destruction would be greater," Remus stated in explanation as many of the younger occupants of the room looked rather confused.

**'Oh, yeah,' said Ron. He peeled a few more sprouts and then said, 'Are you going to tell Dumbledore what you heard Snape and Malfoy saying to each other?'**

**'Yep,' said Harry. 'I'm going to tell anyone who can put a stop to it and Dumbledore's top of the list. I might have another word with your dad, too.'**

**'Pity you didn't hear what Malfoy's actually doing, though.'**

"Malfoy is a Slytherin," Sirius said with a sigh, "and that means he isn't idiotic enough to go around talking about what he's up to."

**'I couldn't have done, could I? That was the whole point, he was refusing to tell Snape.'**

"Who here thinks Snape actually knows that Malfoy is up to?" inquired Bill.

"Why then would he be asking what Malfoy was doing?" Charlie wondered.

"Snape supposedly is a spy, so he could be feigning ignorance," said Remus. "And I am certain that whatever Malfoy is up to has to do with the Unbreakable Vow made at the beginning and Snape did say that he knew what Voldemort had requested."

"So, Snape knows what Malfoy is up to, but Malfoy doesn't know that Snape knows what he's up to," said Tonks. "Merlin, that almost doesn't make sense."

"Things either make sense or they don't," snapped little Hermione. "There's isn't something in between."

"But sometimes you might be able to understand part of a statement," said Bill in defence.

"If you don't fully understand a statement, then it didn't make sense," said little Hermione firmly. "You cannot almost understand anything."

"Can we get back to the book?" asked Percy. "This is an interesting discussion and I'd love to continue it at some point, but it also seems rather pointless at the moment."

** There was silence for a moment or two, then Ron said, 'Course, you know what they'll all say? Dad and Dumbledore and all of them? They'll say Snape isn't really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy's up to.'**

"It could be both though," said Bill. "Snape might wish to find out what Malfoy is up to in order to decide whether or not he should help him."

"That theory makes sense, but remember, Snape did say he knew that the plan was that Voldemort was using Draco for," Remus pointed out. "But I highly doubt Draco knows that Snape knows, so Snape needs to get Draco to tell him himself so Snape would know how to 'help'."

"I did not understand a word of that," said Tonks with a shake of her head.

_Hermione_ smiled good-naturedly and said, "I think Remus was saying that Snape already knows, but he needs to get the information straight from Draco so Draco will trust him. Snape knows the plan and knows that Draco knows it, but Draco does not know that Snape knows the plan. Because of that, it makes it rather complicated for Snape to help him without causing Draco suspicion. Thus, before Snape can start to fulfil the Vow, he needs to get Draco to tell him so Draco will allow him to help him."

"That sort of makes sense," admitted Tonks, "but it still sounds ridiculously complicated."

_Ron_ raised his hand and said, "I'll agree with that. Try listening to _Hermione_ explain things twenty-four-seven and she'll start to make sense most of the time, but every so often she'll say something that hardly anyone can understand."

"Oi!" cried a laughing _Hermione_.

**'They didn't hear him,' said Harry flatly. 'No one's that good an actor, not even Snape.'**

"I think that has been proven wrong," said _Ginny_ quietly and _Harry_ nodded in agreement.

**'Yeah ... I'm just saying, though,' said Ron. Harry turned to face him, frowning. **

**'You think I'm right, though?' **

**'Yeah, I do!' said Ron hastily. 'Seriously, I do! But they're all convinced Snape's in the Order, aren't they?' **

"Which he is," Dumbledore said very calmly. "Severus is a strange man at moments, but he knows where his loyalties lie and that is with our side."

"How can you prove that though?" Sirius snarled. "Give me some good, hard proof, or I'll never believe it!"

"Sirius, I find out what happened that caused Snape to switch sides and you'll find that out too, but not until towards the end of the final book," _Harry_ said in exasperation. "Please calm down and you will find out."

**Harry said nothing. It had already occurred to him that this would be the most likely objection to his new evidence; he could hear Hermione now: _'Obviously, Harry, he was pretending to offer help so he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing ...'_**

"Now that sounds like a Slytherin quality," said Remus, "and it is one of their better ones, as long as it isn't used in a bad sense."

**This was pure imagination, however, as he had had no opportunity to tell Hermione what he had overheard. She had disappeared from Slughorn's party before he returned to it, or so he had been informed by an irate McLaggen, and she had already gone to bed by the time he returned to the common room. As he and Ron had left for The Burrow early the next day, he had barely had time to wish her a Happy Christmas and to tell her that he had some very important news when they got back from the holidays. **

"That nearly drove me mental," _Hermione_ muttered. "I can't stand knowing that someone has something important to tell me, but they can't tell me for a time."

"So, should we do it more often?" teased _Ron_.

"_Ron_!"

**He was not entirely sure that she had heard him, though; Ron and Lavender had been saying a thoroughly non-verbal goodbye just behind him at the time.**

"Which was utterly disgusting," piped up _Ginny_.

"I know, I know," _Ron_ muttered, "but you don't say anything when I do that with _Hermione_."

"That's because she's your wife! It's different then!" _Ginny_ answered.

"You and _Harry_ do it as well," _Hermione_ added sneakily.

"I know we do," _Ginny_ replied as she crossed her arms. "It's something that nearly all married couples do."

"And something that most of us didn't wish to know," Percy added.

**Still, even Hermione would not be able to deny one thing: Malfoy was definitely up to something, and Snape knew it, so Harry felt fully justified in saying 'I told you so', which he had done several times to Ron already.**

"That is a phrase that seems to get tossed around our group rather frequently," _Hermione_ sighed.

"Normally you're the one saying it," _Ron_ pointed out.

"That's not the point!" _Hermione_ said. "I'm just saying that it's a popular phrase for us."

"Because it's quite applicable," _Harry_ finished.

"I just hope that you don't perform any more stupid stunts," Sirius said with a shake of his head.

_Harry_, _Ron_, and _Hermione_ exchanged a glance knowing that some of the worst stunts would happen in the next book. Honestly, who in their right minds would rescue a bunch of Muggle-borns from the Ministry, rob Gringotts, ride a dragon, not to mention everything else they did that year. Sirius and Remus, plus everyone else, were all going to be freaked out at the very least.

**Harry did not get the chance to speak to Mr Weasley, who was working very long hours at the Ministry, until Christmas Eve night. The Weasleys and their guests were sitting in the living room, which Ginny had decorated so lavishly that it was rather like sitting in a paper-chain explosion. **

"Considering it's Ginny, it might have been one," said Bill.

**Fred, George, Harry, and Ron were the only ones who knew that the angel on top of the tree was actually a garden gnome**

"What?" shouted Molly while everyone else laughed or otherwise looked amused.

**that had bitten Fred on the ankle as he pulled up carrots for Christmas dinner. Stupefied, painted gold, stuffed into a miniature tutu and with small wings glued to its back, it glowered down at them all, the ugliest angel Harry had ever seen, with a large bald head like a potato and rather hairy feet.**

"What happened to the normal angel?" wondered Molly, not knowing if she should scold the twins for manhandling a gnome or compliment them for their invention.

"I think one of the twins somehow broke it," said _Ginny_, "and being themselves, they didn't want to simply repair it, so they got inventive."

"I'd say so," agreed Sirius, then he muttered, "I wonder if I could make Kreacher do it."

"Sirius!" Remus admonished, while little Harry hid a giggle.

"You probably could," _Hermione_ admitted, "but he'd probably do something to the tree."

**They were all supposed to be listening to a Christmas broad- cast by Mrs Weasley's favourite singer, Celestina Warbeck, whose voice was warbling out of the large wooden wireless. Fleur, who seemed to find Celestina very dull, was talking so loudly in the corner that a scowling Mrs Weasley kept pointing her wand at the volume control, so that Celestina grew louder and louder.**

"Why did I not leave ze room?" wondered Fleur.

"You didn't want to leave Bill, nor offend Molly because of your tense relationship at that point," Ginny explained rather slowly.

** Under cover of a particularly jazzy number called 'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love',**

A unanimous groan arose from all of the Weasley children and Arthur looked as if he'd like to groan as well, but refrained from doing so as Molly had a brilliant smile on her face.

** Fred and George started a game of Exploding Snap with Ginny. Ron kept shooting Bill and Fleur covert looks, as though hoping to pick up tips.**

"There is such a thing as asking," said Tonks, causing _Ron_, Bill, and Fleur to turn red.

** Meanwhile Remus Lupin, who was thinner and more ragged-looking than ever, **

"You better not have let yourself go," threatened Sirius. "If you did …" Sirius' voice trailed off, but the threat hung unheard in the air. Remus nodded quickly, but he was pretty certain what he had been up to, especially considering his lack of correspondence with Harry.

**was sitting beside the fire, staring into its depths as though he could not hear Celestina's voice.**

**_'Oh, come and stir my cauldron, _**

**_And if you do it right _**

**_I'll boil you up some hot, strong love _**

**_To keep you warm tonight.'_**

"That's one of the most annoying one's there is," groaned Percy. "The melody is so easy to get stuck in your head and it's nearly impossible to get rid of it."

**'We danced to this when we were eighteen!' said Mrs Weasley, wiping her eyes on her knitting. 'Do you remember, Arthur?'**

**'Mphf?' said Mr Weasley, whose head had been nodding over the satsuma he was peeling. 'Oh yes ... marvellous tune ...'**

"Dad," said Bill with a shake of his head.

**With an effort he sat up a little straighter and looked round at Harry, who was sitting next to him.**

**'Sorry about this,' he said, jerking his head towards the wireless as Celestina broke into the chorus. 'Be over soon.'**

"Thank Merlin it isn't a long song," said Charlie in relief.

**'No problem,' said Harry, grinning. 'Has it been busy at the Ministry?'**

**'Very,' said Mr Weasley. 'I wouldn't mind if we were getting anywhere, but of the three arrests we've made in the last couple of months, I doubt that one of them is a genuine Death Eater – only don't repeat that, Harry,' he added quickly, looking much more awake all of a sudden.**

**'They're not still holding Stan Shunpike, are they?' asked Harry.**

"They better not be," growled Sirius. For him, reading about that arrest had been the worst as Stan was innocent, just like he had been. He wished that he could teach all the morons at the Ministry a lesson.

**'I'm afraid so,' said Mr Weasley.**

"How incompetent is this blasted Ministry?" cried Sirius. "Do they ever get their heads out of their arses?"

"Sirius!" said _Harry_. "Please, language! And yes, eventually they get their heads into the right places, but it takes awhile longer."

"At least it happens," Sirius muttered. "And I know you had to have been involved."

"I was," _Harry_ admitted. "And so were _Ron_ and _Hermione_. _Hermione_ basically revolutionized parts of the Ministry, while I, and a bit later, _Ron_, tackled the Aurors."

**'I know Dumbledore's tried appealing directly to Scrimgeour about Stan ... I mean, anybody who has actually interviewed him agrees that he's about as much a Death Eater as this satsuma ...**

"Now that's an interesting image," grinned Tonks. "Think of what a satsuma would look like with a Death Eater mask."

"Not appetizing, that's for certain," laughed Remus.

**but the top levels want to look as though they're making some progress, and "three arrests" sounds better than "three mistaken arrests and releases" ...**

"What about the truth?" asked a very exasperated Percy. "The truth is the best thing out there!"

"That's true, but so many people are too much of an idiot to be able to see it," sighed Remus. "Someday I hope people will be able to see it better."

"The truth is one of the best things to learn," agreed _Hermione_. "Along with goodness and beauty. I think those three items are things that everyone should think about and strive as hard as they can to learn about."

** but again, this is all top secret ...'**

**'I won't say anything,' said Harry. He hesitated for a moment, wondering how best to embark on what he wanted to say; as he marshalled his thoughts, Celestina Warbeck began a ballad called 'You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me'.**

"Oh great," muttered little Ginny. How her mother could stand that singer was beyond her. Warbeck sounded like a screechy bird to her with a too high and too wobbly voice.

**'Mr Weasley, you know what I told you at the station when we were setting off for school?'**

**'I checked, Harry,' said Mr Weasley at once. 'I went and searched the Malfoys' house. There was nothing, either broken or whole, that shouldn't have been there.'**

"Well, it's probably there, just in some secret room or other," said Bill.

"But the room was discovered!" said George. "Remember, the trapdoor under the drawing room?"

"Yeah, but do you honestly believe the Malfoys to only have a single secret room?" asked Bill. "There's bound to be close to a dozen or so in that house."

"I think there were about thirteen," _Harry_ said thoughtfully.

"Is he a baker?" asked little Hermione with a grin.

"Huh?" asked many of the younger occupants, and a good deal of the older ones looked slightly confused as well.

"A dozen is generally twelve of an item," little Hermione stated, "but there's a special dozen called a 'baker's dozen' which consists of thirteen items."

"Oh."

**'Yeah, I know, I saw in the _Prophet _that you'd looked ... but this is something different ... well, something more ...'**

**And he told Mr Weasley everything he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape. As Harry spoke, he saw Lupin's head turn a little towards him, taking in every word. When he had finished, there was silence, except for Celestina's crooning**

"More like croaking," _Ron_ muttered under his breath.

**_'Oh, my poor heart, where has it gone? It's left me for a spell ...'_**

**'Has it occurred to you, Harry,' said Mr Weasley, 'that Snape was simply pretending –'**

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" wondered Tonks.

**'Pretending to offer help, so that he could find out what Malfoy's up to?' said Harry quickly. Yeah, I thought you'd say that. But how do we know?'**

**'It isn't our business to know,' said Lupin unexpectedly.**

"Like _Harry_ will listen to that," grinned _Ginny_ as she shifted slightly on the sofa. Being eight months pregnant certainly wasn't comfortable.

"You do have an awful reputation for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," _Hermione_ added.

"You two helped!" said _Harry_ in defence.

"Only because you usually were the first one to get into trouble!" she defended.

"Look, _Harry_ has a reputation for finding things out that he probably shouldn't know, investigating it, getting into trouble, and then saving the world while being pardoned for his misdeeds," _Ron_ said very simply.

"I couldn't have put it better myself," _Harry_ replied. "And that does sound like me."

"Why do I have to have an insane godson?" murmured Sirius.

"Maybe because you're insane," _Harry_ teased.

**He had turned his back on the fire now, and faced Harry across Mr Weasley. 'It's Dumbledore's business. Dumbledore trusts Severus, and that ought to be good enough for all of us.'**

"Like hell it isn't," Sirius growled.

"Sirius," Dumbledore said yet again. "Please refrain from talking about Severus in that way. You do not know his full story, nor is it your story to find out."

"And Sirius, you'll understand more about Snape by the end of the books," said _Harry_ patiently. "I just want you to withhold from speaking about him in that way. I know I've said this before, but please, Snape was a good man, even if he acted like a complete git most of the time."

Remus eyed _Harry_ suspiciously as he had caught the use of past tense when _Harry_ was talking about Snape. It already had happened and he was certain that something had happened to Snape.

**'But,' said Harry, 'just say – just say Dumbledore's wrong about Snape –'**

**'People have said it, many times. It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgement. I do; therefore, I trust Severus.'**

** 'But Dumbledore can make mistakes,' argued Harry. 'He says it himself. And you –'**

**He looked Lupin straight in the eye. '– do you honestly like Snape?' **

**'I neither like nor dislike Severus,' said Lupin. **

Sirius stared gobsmacked at his best friend, hardly believing Remus' words, even though it was about ten years in the future.

"Uh, Sirius, you might want to shut your mouth before any flies get in," Remus advised with a grin.

Sirius clamped his jaw shut and glared at his best friend. "It's December," he stated. "I doubt there's many flies around here. Anyway, how can you answer like that?"

Remus sighed, as he honestly didn't know how he could answer the way he would in the future. At last he said, "I highly doubt I will ever be friends with Snape, but it does seem that we're on … how should I put it? civil terms?"

"Sort of," _Harry_ said. "But you did try to avoid each other as much as possible."

**'No, Harry, I am speaking the truth,' he added, as Harry pulled a sceptical expression. 'We shall never be bosom friends, perhaps; after all that happened between James and Sirius and Severus, there is too much bitterness there. But I do not forget that during the year I taught at Hogwarts, Severus made the Wolfsbane Potion for me every month, made it perfectly, so that I did not have to suffer as I usually do at the full moon.'**

"You'll never have to use him though now," Sirius stated firmly.

"We've already discussed this," pointed out Remus, "but again, I thank you for and accept your offer."

**'But he "accidentally" let it slip that you're a werewolf, so you had to leave!' said Harry angrily.**

"At least I only resigned," said Remus calmly. "I'm thankful it wasn't anything worse."

**Lupin shrugged.**

**'The news would have leaked out anyway. We both know he wanted my job, but he could have wreaked much worse damage on me by tampering with the Potion. He kept me healthy. I must be grateful.'**

**'Maybe he didn't dare mess with the Potion with Dumbledore watching him!' said Harry.**

"Oh Harry," sighed Sirius with a shake of his head.

**'You are determined to hate him, Harry,' said Lupin with a faint smile.**

"Another quality of your father's, but I'm sorry to say, not one that I'd like you to keep," Remus said gently.

"Don't worry, I no longer hate him," assured _Harry_. "He is far from my favourite person in the world, but he no longer holds the 'worst person ever' spot."

"If I may ask, who does hold it?" wondered Sirius, though he thought he had an idea.

"Voldemort," _Harry_ answered, "with Umbridge and the Death Eaters not too far behind."

**'And I understand; with James as your father, with Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice. By all means tell Dumbledore what you have told Arthur and me, but do not expect him to share your view of the matter; do not even expect him to be surprised by what you tell him. It might have been on Dumbledore's orders that Severus questioned Draco.'**

**'... _and now you've torn it quite apart I'll thank you to give back my heart!'_**

"Wait, what?" asked a very confused Neville.

"Just a line from the song," _Harry_ explained quickly before he continued reading.

**Celestina ended her song on a very long, high-pitched note and loud applause issued out of the wireless, which Mrs Weasley joined in with enthusiastically.**

"Mum!"

**'Eez eet over?' said Fleur loudly. 'Thank goodness, what an 'orrible –'**

"You certainly have guts to say that in front of Mum," said Bill proudly.

"Zank you," a rather unsure Fleur replied. She didn't know exactly what to think, but figured that Bill meant it to be a compliment, so she took it as such.

**'Shall we have a nightcap, then?' asked Mr Weasley loudly, leaping to his feet. 'Who wants eggnog?'**

**'What have you been up to lately?' Harry asked Lupin, as Mr Weasley bustled off to fetch the eggnog and everybody else stretched and broke into conversation.**

**'Oh, I've been underground,' said Lupin. 'Almost literally. That's why I haven't been able to write, Harry; sending letters to you would have been something of a give-away.'**

**'What do you mean?'**

**'I've been living among my fellows, my equals,' said Lupin. **

Remus nodded slowly. He had been expecting that that was what he had been doing, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Well, nice in a strange way. He normally didn't like to associate himself with other werewolves as the majority of them didn't like the idea of trying to continue to live a normal life, which he supported. On the other hand, they would be a good group to have on their side in the war, but Remus had a feeling his efforts hadn't been the best.

**'Werewolves,' he added, at Harry's look of incomprehension. 'Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side. Dumbledore wanted a spy and here I was ... ready-made.'**

**He sounded a little bitter, and perhaps realised it, for he smiled more warmly as he went on, 'I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakeable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing – and sometimes killing – to eat.'**

**'How come they like Voldemort?'**

"He gives them empty promises that they believe," Remus said with a sigh. "They think it will be better for them under his rule, but he'd as soon see all of us dead."

**'They think that, under his rule, they will have a better life,' said Lupin. 'And it is hard to argue with Greyback out there ...'**

Remus gritted his teeth at the mention of Greyback. He normally was a peaceful person, but Greyback was on the short list of people he hated. The only other ones on the list were Voldemort and Pettigrew.

**'Who's Greyback?'**

"Was that the first time you heard of him?" Sirius asked and _Harry_ nodded.

**'You haven't heard of him?' Lupin's hands closed convulsively in his lap. 'Fenrir Greyback is, perhaps, the most savage werewolf alive today. He regards it as his mission in life to bite and to contaminate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough werewolves to overcome the wizards. Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. Greyback specialises in children ... bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards. Voldemort has threatened to unleash him upon people's sons and daughters; it is a threat that usually produces good results.'**

Remus looked down in his lap. His father regretted that he had refused to comply with Greyback. John Lupin had thought it to be an empty threat and had learned the hard way. Remus had forgiven his father long ago for the incident as he knew that his father blamed himself. He had tried for many years to convince his father that the fault belonged to no one but Greyback, but he hadn't listened. It hadn't been until his father was dying of cancer that Remus had been able to convince him.

**Lupin paused and then said, 'It was Greyback who bit me.'**

**'What?' said Harry, astonished. 'When – when you were a kid, you mean?'**

"How old were you?" asked little Harry in a small voice.

"Six," Remus answered, "so I wasn't much younger than you are."

Little Harry stared at Remus in shock. He couldn't believe that something that terrible could happen to someone at such a young age.

Remus smiled gently at the young boy. "It was very difficult, but unlike most families, instead of throwing me out, they tried, unsuccessfully, to find a cure."

"Th-That's good," little Harry stuttered, though inside he was wishing that his family had treated him the same, well no, he didn't want to be spoiled like Dudley, but he wanted a true family.

"It is," agreed Remus, but he saw that this conversation was bothering little Harry, so he stopped. He figured that it mostly had to do with the fact that his family had stayed with him and he mentally kicked himself for saying that in front of little Harry.

**'Yes. My father had offended him. I did not know, for a very long time, the identity of the werewolf who had attacked me; I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback is not like that. At the full moon he positions himself close to victims, ensuring that he is near enough to strike. He plans it all. **

Bill was staring wide-eyed at Remus, hardly believing that there were such extremes in werewolves. He had always believed that werewolves were creatures, who were people most of the time, but didn't have any control over what they did when they were transformed. Now, he understood that they were people first, at least with most of them, and that some of them had great intelligence. A much as he hated to admit it, it was smart for Greyback to plan his stuff, but he hoped that he'd never meet this creature.

**And this is the man Voldemort is using to marshal the werewolves. I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood, that we ought to revenge ourselves on normal people.'**

"But they once were normal people," said a very confused little Ron.

"I agree," Remus stated, "but many of them seem to think otherwise after they're bitten."

**'But you are normal!' said Harry fiercely. 'You've just got a – a problem –'**

Sirius and Remus both began to laugh.

"Oh, yes, your 'furry little problem'," said Sirius. "Remember Bugs?"

"Bugs?" asked a very confused _Harry_.

"Well, we tried to make Remus' 'furry little problem' regarding what Hogwarts thought it to be, literal," said Sirius.

"What?" _Harry_ asked again. Like normal, his godfather wasn't making a lot of sense.

"In other words, they got me a rabbit," said Remus simply. "There was quite the argument in the train between Sirius and James on naming it, but I finally ended it.

"And what kind of a name is Bugs?" asked Sirius. "You know Bre'r is better."

"Not again," groaned Remus.

"The name wouldn't have anything to do with Bugs Bunny, would it?" asked _Hermione_ and she groaned when Remus nodded.

"Bugs Bunny?" inquired Sirius as Remus never had told them the origin of the name, saying it would wreck too much havoc.

"It's a character from a rather old cartoon," _Hermione_ explained. "It's this rabbit and he's nearly always being chased by a hunter. To put it simply, he's constantly outsmarting the hunter and also randomly getting into some of the strangest situations imaginable."

"That certainly happened with Bugs," Remus muttered. "He never stopped chasing Snape!"

"Oh yeah," Sirius said softly. "Remember when he used to jump up on people's heads during meals in the Great Hall?"

"Only because you trained him to!" Remus retorted. "He was a nice bunny until you decided to turn him into a holy terror!"

"He was supposed to be 'badly behaved', and you helped with some of the training" stated Sirius in defence. After a moment he said, "Whatever became of him?"

"It's still around," Remus answered, "though he's getting quite old at age twelve, so I'm not expecting him to last much longer. A neighbour is taking care of him for me while I'm here."

"Really, he's still around?" Sirius said in shock. "Wow."

"What would Bugs think of Mr Tibbles?" asked little Harry.

"Uh, I doubt either of them would get along very well," Remus answered, "judging from how they got along back in the day."

"What happened?" little Harry inquired.

"Uh, Mr Tibbles would constantly chase Bugs around, Bugs would end up somewhere up high, make a mess in the kitchen, and Lily would kick us all out of the house," a laughing Sirius explained.

"It sounds like that little cottage had to be one of the most chaotic homes ever," _Harry_ said with a grin.

"Oh, that even happened in the manor," explained Sirius. "Lily put her foot down when it came to allowing Bugs in the cottage in Godric's Hollow."

"Still, I cannot believe the amount of insanity that must've gone on in that house," _Harry_ finished. "I really would like to hear more, both about me as a child and what you three go up to there."

"Will do, _Harry_," Sirius assured. "I'd like to see your reactions to some of the schemes we got up to."

**Lupin burst out laughing.**

**'Sometimes you remind me a lot of James. He called it my "furry little problem" in company. Many people were under the impression that I owned a badly behaved rabbit.'**

"Well, you eventually did," said Sirius cheekily.

"Because you gifted me with one," Remus finished.

"At least you were able to prove it," Sirius answered with a shrug.

**He accepted a glass of eggnog from Mr Weasley with a word of thanks, looking slightly more cheerful. Harry, meanwhile, felt a rush of excitement: this last mention of his father had reminded him that there was something he had been looking forward to asking Lupin.**

** 'Have you ever heard of someone called the Half-Blood Prince?'**

**'The Half-Blood what?'**

**'Prince,' said Harry, watching him closely for signs of recognition.**

**'There are no wizarding princes,' said Lupin, now smiling. 'Is this a title you're thinking of adopting?**

"Remus!" cried a laughing Tonks.

"What?" Remus asked. "Was I supposed to understand the context of this question?"

** I should have thought being the "Chosen One" would be enough.'**

"It bloody well is," _Harry_ muttered under his breath.

**'It's nothing to do with me!' said Harry indignantly. 'The Half-Blood Prince is someone who used to go to Hogwarts, I've got his old Potions book. He wrote spells all over it, spells he invented. One of them was _Levicorpus –'_**

**'Oh, that one had a great vogue during my time at Hogwarts,' said Lupin reminiscently. 'There were a few months in my fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted into the air by your ankle.'**

"It was bloody annoying at moments too," muttered Sirius.

"Oi!" cried Remus. "Half the time you were the one administering the hex!"

"I did accidentally cast it on myself once," Sirius muttered. "That was interesting."

"How can you do that?" wondered _Harry_.

"Tripped in mid-cast and end up with your wand pointed at your foot," Sirius answered. "What made it worse was that I dropped my wand and when you're dangling in the air several feet above the floor, it's impossible to grab anything off of the floor."

"How'd you get down?" asked little Harry through his laughter.

"Hestia finally walked down the hallway and rescued me," Sirius replied. "And it was embarrassing that she had to do that."

**'My dad used it,' said Harry. 'I saw him in the Pensieve, he used it on Snape.'**

**He tried to sound casual, as though this was a throwaway comment of no real importance, but he was not sure he had achieved the right effect; Lupin's smile was a little too understanding.**

**'Yes,' he said, 'but he wasn't the only one. As I say, it was very popular ... you know how these spells come and go ...'**

"You know something about it," stated Percy. "I know you're hiding some information."

Remus did not reply, but instead gestured for Harry to continue.

**'But it sounds like it was invented while you were at school,' Harry persisted.**

**'Not necessarily,' said Lupin. 'Jinxes go in and out of fashion like everything else.' He looked into Harry's face and then said quietly, 'James was a pure-blood, Harry, and I promise you, he never asked us to call him "Prince".'**

"Anyway, his nickname was Prongs," added Sirius. "And Prince Prongs doesn't sound like a good nickname."

"At that rate, you should just call him Bambi," _Hermione_ grinned.

"Bambi?" asked all the pure-bloods, except for _Ron_ and _Ginny_.

"You don't know Disney?" asked little Hermione in horror. When all she got was a bunch of blank looks, she continued, "Bambi is the story of a prince of the forest, a deer."

"Oh," said Neville. "Why should Mr Potter have been called Bambi then?"

"A deer has antlers, prongs, and if he was a prince, he'd be Prince Prongs, a.k.a. Bambi," explained Tonks.

"Your minds are weird," _Ron_ muttered.

**'Abandoning pretence,' Harry said, 'And it wasn't Sirius?**

"I'm a pure-blood too," said Sirius. "And though the Black's might be like wizarding royalty, they aren't."

** Or you?'**

**'Definitely not.'**

** 'Oh.' Harry stared into the fire. 'I just thought – well, he's helped me out a lot in Potions classes, the Prince has.'**

**'How old is this book, Harry?' **

**'I dunno, I've never checked.' **

**'Well, perhaps that will give you some clue as to when the Prince was at Hogwarts,' said Lupin. Shortly after this, Fleur decided to imitate Celestina singing 'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love', which was taken by everyone, once they had glimpsed Mrs Weasley's expression, to be the cue to go to bed.**

"Good for you, Fleur!" said little Ginny as the Weasley children broke into applause. Fleur turned pale pink while Mrs Weasley glared at the children.

** Harry and Ron climbed all the way up to Ron's attic bedroom,**

"Okay, so it's the attic bedroom, not the main attic," said Charlie. "That makes it a bit better."

"Why did you think it was the attic anyway?" wondered Bill.

"Technicalities," Charlie shrugged.

** where a camp bed had been added for Harry.**

**Ron fell asleep almost immediately, but Harry delved into his trunk and pulled out his copy of _Advanced Potion- Making _before getting into bed. There he turned its pages, searching, until he finally found, at the front of the book, the date that it had been published. It was nearly fifty years old. Neither his father, nor his father's friends, had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago.**

"But couldn't it have been a used book during your time?" inquired little Hermione.

"Possibly," Sirius answered. "A decent portion of students do use their parents' textbooks if the information in them is still good enough."

"So, there still is a chance of the Half-Blood Prince being from your time?" asked Bill. Remus nodded in answer.

**Feeling disappointed, Harry threw the book back into his trunk, turned off the lamp and rolled over, thinking of werewolves and Snape, Stan Shunpike and the Half-Blood Prince, and finally falling into an uneasy sleep full of creeping shadows and the cries of bitten children ...'**

"_Harry_, you definitely win the prize for the weirdest dreams," _Ginny_ stated with a grin.

**'She's got to be joking ...'**

**Harry woke with a start to find a bulging stocking lying over the end of his bed. He put on his glasses and looked around; the tiny window was almost completely obscured with snow **

"Wait, that's the attic window …" began Charlie.

"That's a lot of snow," finished Bill. He knew that they got rather large snowfalls at times, but it rarely got up to the attic window.

"Ultimate snowball anyone?" asked Tonks.

"Could we do the freeze-tag snowball again?" asked little Harry.

"Perhaps, if there's time," Molly answered. "It would probably be good to get through one or two more chapters after this one, but we will just have to see what the time is. We can make certain that it will happen at Christmastime though."

Little Harry looked up blankly at the mention of Christmas, then with a gasp of surprise, realized that he wouldn't have to be at the Dursleys and watch Dudley open several dozen presents this year. That alone would be a Christmas present for him.

**and in front of it Ron was sitting bolt upright in bed and examining what appeared to be a thick gold chain.**

"Who'd give you a necklace?" inquired Charlie.

"Two words, 'Lavender Brown'," _Ron_ muttered in answer.

"Not her," groaned Bill. "Please tell me you get your mouth to the right place."

"Well, to put it simply, I get my mouth out of the wrong place fairly soon, but it takes awhile before it finds the correct place," stated _Ron_.

The younger occupants looked completely confused, whereas the teenagers and adults were quite amused by Ron's choice of wording.

"I do wonder if seventh year would've been less awkward if you had gotten your mouth into the correct location earlier," _Harry_ mused.

"What are you talking about?" asked little Ginny. "Your mouth is on your face! It can't move to a different place."

"Ginny, _Ron_'s talking about things that are of adult content," Arthur said gently. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Oh," huffed Ginny, but she accepted what her father had said.

**'What's that?' asked Harry.**

**'It's from Lavender,' said Ron, sounding revolted. 'She can't honestly think I'd wear ...'**

"She really doesn't know you if she doesn't know your jewellery type," said Tonks.

"But I don't like jewellery!" cried little Ron.

"I know," said Tonks, "and that's what I said in a round-about way."

**Harry looked more closely and let out a shout of laughter. Dangling from the chain in large gold letters were the words 'My Sweetheart'.**

Little Ron turned a brilliant shade of red whereas _Ron_ looked extremely uncomfortable and was currently avoiding eye-contact with _Hermione_.

**'Nice,' he said. 'Classy. You should definitely wear it in front of Fred and George.'**

"Please, no!" begged little Ron as the twins began to laugh.

**'If you tell them,' said Ron, shoving the necklace out of sight under his pillow, 'I – I – I'll –'**

"Figure out your threat before you try to state it," advised Sirius. "It always makes you sound more convincing."

"So that's why your threats always scared us half to deaths at moments," Remus muttered in understanding.

**'Stutter at me?' said Harry, grinning. 'Come on, would I?'**

**'How could she think I'd like something like that, though?' Ron demanded of thin air, looking rather shocked.**

"I didn't know thin air could look shocked!" said Charlie in mock surprise.

"It's Ron's description, idiot," Bill returned, giving his brother a cuff on the shoulder.

**'Well, think back,' said Harry. 'Have you ever let it slip that you'd like to go out in public with the words "My Sweetheart" round your neck?'**

**'Well ... we don't really talk much,' said Ron. 'It's mainly ...'**

**'Snogging,' said Harry.**

"Which does not constitute a relationship," said Charlie.

"Like you know much about girls," Tonks retorted.

Charlie bit his lip to keep back a retort. He'd know a lot more about girls if Tonks would go out with him, but she always refused.

**'Well, yeah,' said Ron. He hesitated a moment, then said, 'Is Hermione really going out with McLaggen?'**

**'I dunno,' said Harry. 'They were at Slughorn's party together, but I don't think it went that well.'**

"Yet another disaster," said _Hermione_ cheerfully.

**Ron looked slightly more cheerful as he delved deeper into his stocking.**

**Harry's presents included a sweater with a large Golden Snitch worked on to the front, hand-knitted by Mrs Weasley, a large box of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products from the twins and a slightly damp, mouldy-smelling package which came with a label reading: 'To Master, from Kreacher'.**

"He gave you something?" asked Sirius in shock. "Never in all my days…" Sirius shook his head in surprise, but stopped when he saw the look on Harry's face. "What did he do?" Sirius sighed.

"You'll find out," _Harry_ said, "but at least you don't have to see or touch them."

"You've seen and touched worse," _Ron_ pointed out.

"Not in a bedroom!" retorted _Harry_.

**Harry stared at it. 'D'you reckon this is safe to open?' he asked.**

"I doubt it," muttered Sirius.

**'Can't be anything dangerous, all our mail's still being searched at the Ministry,' **

"It can still be disgusting though," muttered _Harry_.

**replied Ron, though he was eyeing the parcel suspiciously.**

**'I didn't think of giving Kreacher anything! Do people usually give their house-elves Christmas presents?' asked Harry, prodding the parcel cautiously.**

"Sometimes the better families do," said Sirius. "Your father's family always gave their house-elves new cloth for the uniforms or new kitchen supplies. They were always things that the House-elves would find useful."

**'Hermione would,' said Ron. 'But let's wait and see what it is before you start feeling guilty.'**

**A moment later, Harry had given a loud yell and leapt out of his camp bed; the package contained a large number of maggots.**

The boys found this to be very amusing, but many of the girls were rather disgusted.

**'Nice,' said Ron, roaring with laughter. 'Very thoughtful.'**

"Better those than that necklace," said Bill with a laugh.

**'I'd rather have them than that necklace,' said Harry, which sobered Ron up at once.**

**Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur**

"Why?" inquired Fleur, though she thought she knew why. Being part veela, she was somewhat accustomed to prejudice, but she couldn't believe even her future fiancée's family would be like that. She desperately hoped that they would come to her for who she was inwardly, not for her veela appearance.

Bill eyed his mother reproachfully. Normally, his mother was like a mother hen, welcoming anyone and everyone into her nest, but it seemed that every so often there was someone she didn't want in there and that person knew it. He sighed and shook his head, grateful that this time around his mum seemed to be more welcoming to Fleur, even though he didn't have any feelings for her yet. It was just awkward that he's fall in love with a girl who currently was ten years old, but then, stranger things would probably happen.

Molly could feel the cold looks set on her and looked decidedly uncomfortable. At last she finally said, "Look, I know I'm basically acting like an idiot at this moment regarding Fleur and I wish I weren't. I probably don't know her well in the books, which is why I'm acting the way I am. Also, the mere thought of my eldest getting married is terrifying. I think these are all reasons pointing to my dislike of Fleur in the books, but I'm heartily ashamed of them all."

"Eet ees okay, Madame Weasley," Fleur said. "Eet 'asn't 'append yet."

**(on whom, it appeared, Mrs Weasley had not wanted to waste one) and Mrs Weasley herself, who was sporting a brand new midnight- blue witch's hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.**

Molly looked awestruck at the description. "W-Who gave them to me?" she wondered.

**'Fred and George gave them to me! **

The twins exchanged a quick glance of confusion.

"How did they do that?" asked Bill.

"You saw how they were raking in the Galleons in their joke shop," _Harry_ stated. "It's quite a profitable business."

"I see," Molly said slowly. "Well then, I guess it is a good thing that they started it, but not that they didn't finish school."

**Aren't they beautiful?'**

**'Well, we find we appreciate you more and more, Mum, now we're washing our own socks,' said George, waving an airy hand. 'Parsnips, Remus?'**

**'Harry, you've got a maggot in your hair,' said Ginny cheerfully, leaning across the table to pick it out; Harry felt goosebumps erupt up his neck that had nothing to do with the maggot.**

Charlie mimicked a retching sound, but Bill quickly swatted him on the shoulder, even though he too was a little put out by the descriptions of Harry's crush.

**''Ow 'orrible,' said Fleur, with an affected little shudder. **

**'Yes, isn't it?' said Ron. 'Gravy, Fleur?' In his eagerness to help her, he knocked the gravy boat flying;**

"_Ron_," sighed _Hermione_ with a shake of her head.

**Bill waved his wand and the gravy soared up in the air and returned meekly to the boat.**

**'You are as bad as zat Tonks,' said Fleur to Ron, when she had finished kissing Bill in thanks. 'She is always knocking –'**

"Oi!" cried Tonks.

**'I invited _dear _Tonks to come along today,' said Mrs Weasley, setting down the carrots with unnecessary force and glaring at Fleur. 'But she wouldn't come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?'**

**'No, I haven't been in contact with anybody very much,' said Lupin. 'But Tonks has got her own family to go to, hasn't she?'**

**'Hmmm,' said Mrs Weasley. 'Maybe. I got the impression she was planning to spend Christmas alone, actually.'**

Tonks looked up curiously, wondering why she wouldn't be with either her parents or the Weasleys. She couldn't think of any reasons why she wouldn't be at one of those two places.

**She gave Lupin an annoyed look, as though it was all his fault she was getting Fleur for a daughter-in-law instead of Tonks,**

"Why would it be my fault?" Remus asked slowly.

Tonks' eyes went wide and she struggled to keep her face a natural shade. Surely it couldn't be happening? She had believed it as a very young girl, but she had long since gotten over it.

_Harry_ chose that moment to look over at Tonks and was barely able to supress a grin when he realized what she was probably thinking. "_Just wait, Tonks_," he thought. "_Your feelings will be returned._"

**but Harry, glancing across at Fleur, who was now feeding Bill bits of turkey off her own fork, thought that Mrs Weasley was fighting a long-lost battle. He was, however, reminded of a question he had with regard to Tonks, and who better to ask than Lupin, the man who knew all about Patronuses?**

"I highly doubt that," said Remus with a smile, "but thanks for the affirmation."

"You managed to teach it to me at thirteen," _Harry_ replied. "And very well too, I might add."

"But it was your aptitude that made it possible," Remus said in return. "Not me."

"Well, you explained it well and helped me learn how to do it," _Harry_ continued. "Look, you were the one adult I fully trusted who knew about Patronuses."

"Thank you," Remus answered gently.

**'Tonks' Patronus has changed its form,' he told him. 'Snape said so, anyway. I didn't know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?'**

**Lupin took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, 'Sometimes ... a great shock ... an emotional upheaval ...'**

**'It looked big, and it had four legs,' said Harry, struck by a sudden thought and lowering his voice. 'Hey ... it couldn't be –?'**

"Sirius?" asked Remus.

"What?" Sirius inquired.

"You don't think her Patronus could be you, do you?"

"What?" Sirius asked in shock. That thought hadn't even crossed his mind as he was so certain Tonks' Patronus was Remus' werewolf. "Uh, no, I don't think it is."

"But Harry's description of it fits your Animagus form," Remus protested.

"Perhaps," Sirius replied rather dismissively, "but I think the description was closer to your form."

"What?" Remus nearly shouted. "It can't be! It's impossible!"

Tonks looked up rather confusedly. Both theories made sense, but she questioned both. Sirius' Animagus form was certainly understandable in the sense of a protector, but she was certain it wouldn't change to that, even after his d-death. Remus on the other hand seemed to be a bit more believable, but at the same time it also didn't make sense unless they had fallen for each other.

**'Arthur!' said Mrs Weasley suddenly. She had risen from her chair; her hand was pressed over her heart and she was staring out of the kitchen window. 'Arthur – it's Percy!'**

"What?" cried Percy eagerly. "I'm back?"

_Ron_ winced. Percy was going to be extremely disappointed when he found out that he didn't make up with the family, at least not yet.

**_'What?'_**

**Mr Weasley looked round. Everybody looked quickly at the window; Ginny stood up for a better view. There, sure enough, was Percy Weasley, striding across the snowy yard, his horn-rimmed glasses glinting in the sunlight. He was not, however, alone.**

"Who's he with?" asked Molly quickly.

** 'Arthur, he's – he's with the Minister!'**

"What?" said Percy again, this time he didn't sound so eager.

"Is that not good?" wondered Neville.

"Considering the circumstances, I highly doubt it can mean something good," Tonks said in answer.

**And sure enough, the man Harry had seen in the _Daily Prophet _was following along in Percy's wake, limping slightly, his mane of greying hair and his black cloak flecked with snow Before any of them could say anything, before Mr and Mrs Weasley could do more than exchange stunned looks, the back door opened and there stood Percy.**

**There was a moment's painful silence. Then Percy said rather stiffly, 'Merry Christmas, Mother.'**

**'Oh, _Percy!' _said Mrs Weasley, and she threw herself into his arms.**

**Rufus Scrimgeour paused in the doorway, leaning on his walking stick and smiling as he observed this affecting scene.**

"It certainly doesn't sound affecting," muttered Bill, who was wondering why in the name of Merlin his younger brother was at the Burrow when it was evident he didn't want to be there. Bill chose not to voice this out loud as he couldn't bear to see anymore hurt on either Percy or his mum's face.

**'You must forgive this intrusion,' he said, when Mrs Weasley looked round at him, beaming and wiping her eyes. 'Percy and I were in the vicinity – working, you know – and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all.'**

"I highly doubt that," Charlie huffed.

**But Percy showed no sign of wanting to greet any of the rest of the family. **

"Percy!" shouted Bill, who couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry!" Percy cried. "I'm sorry! I-I don't know what's going on or why this happened, but I don't want it to happen. I love you all and I don't want anything to tear us apart, especially something my fault."

"Percy," Arthur said gently. "Please calm down. From what we've read about, these events revolve more around Fudge and myself, not you."

"But Dad!" Percy protested.

"Percy," Arthur replied, a bit more sternly this time. "Stop blaming yourself. This hasn't happened yet for us and hopefully it won't happen, so don't worry. Your self from the other universe would have put this event behind himself, so I want you to do the same … for us."

At the last bit of his father's sentence, Percy nodded stiffly and tried to do so, but he knew that it would probably take some time and wouldn't be complete until he arrived back with the family on his own accord.

**He stood, poker-straight and awkward- looking, and stared over everybody else's heads. Mr Weasley, Fred and George were all observing him, stony-faced.**

**'Please, come in, sit down, Minister!' fluttered Mrs Weasley, straightening her hat. 'Have a little purkey, or some tooding ... I mean –'**

"Mum!" laughed Bill.

"Well, purkey and tooding sound quite delicious," said Tonks.

"And if you tried to make either turkey or pudding, it would probably turn into purkey and tooding," Sirius teased.

"Oi! I'm not that bad in the kitchen!" Tonks defended.

"Uh, you've managed to set fire to almost everything in the kitchen at some point," Sirius said.

Tonks rolled her eyes and settled back down in her seat.

**'No, no, my dear Molly,' said Scrimgeour. Harry guessed that he had checked on her name with Percy before they entered the house. 'I don't want to intrude, wouldn't be here at all if Percy hadn't wanted to see you all so badly ...'**

"That's got to be one of the fattest lies I've ever heard," Charlie muttered angrily.

"Charles," Arthur responded sternly.

"He has it half right," _Ron_ said quietly. "There were a couple of time Percy nearly apologized before he finally did so, this being one of them."

"When were the others?" Molly wondered.

"Soon after Dad was attacked and later on this year," _Ron_ answered. "He told us that later."

**'Oh, Perce!' said Mrs Weasley tearfully, reaching up to kiss him.**

**'... we've only looked in for five minutes, so I'll have a stroll around the yard while you catch up with Percy. No, no, I assure you I don't want to butt in! Well, if anybody cared to show me your charming garden ... ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?'**

"Who wants to bet he's talking about Harry?" asked Fred.

"It's guaranteed that it is him," Percy answered.

**The atmosphere around the table changed perceptibly. Everybody looked from Scrimgeour to Harry. Nobody seemed to find Scrimgeour's pretence that he did not know Harry's name convincing, or find it natural that he should be chosen to accompany the Minister around the garden when Ginny, Fleur and George also had clean plates.**

**'Yeah, all right,' said Harry into the silence.**

**He was not fooled; for all Scrimgeour's talk that they had just been in the area, that Percy wanted to look up his family, this must be the real reason that they had come, so that Scrimgeour could speak to Harry alone.**

"If he tries anything …" Sirius began, but was interrupted by _Harry_ continuing to read.

**'It's fine,' he said quietly, as he passed Lupin, who had half- risen from his chair. 'Fine,' he added, as Mr Weasley opened his mouth to speak.**

**'Wonderful!' said Scrimgeour, standing back to let Harry pass through the door ahead of him. 'We'll just take a turn around the garden and then Percy and I'll be off. Carry on, everyone!'**

**Harry walked across the yard towards the Weasleys' over- grown, snow-covered garden, Scrimgeour limping slightly at his side. He had, Harry knew, been Head of the Auror Office; he looked tough and battle-scarred, very different from portly Fudge in his bowler hat.**

"At least he seems to be a bit better of a Minister," Remus stated. "Oftentimes those who are best in the position of power have had much real life experience with war and other such things."

**'Charming,' said Scrimgeour, stopping at the garden fence and looking out over the snowy lawn and the indistinguishable plants. 'Charming.'**

**Harry said nothing. He could tell that Scrimgeour was watching him.**

**'I've wanted to meet you for a very long time,' said Scrimgeour,**

"Just like the rest of the world," _Harry_ sighed.

**after a few moments. 'Did you know that?'**

** 'No,' said Harry truthfully.**

**'Oh yes, for a very long time. But Dumbledore has been very protective of you,' said Scrimgeour. 'Natural, of course, natural, after what you've been through ... especially what happened at the Ministry ...'**

"How much of that adventure is known anyway?" wondered Tonks.

"Some of it, but not the details," _Hermione_ said. "Well, the Unspeakables should know most, including the destruction of the Hall of Prophecies and the Time Turners, but the public knows very little of what happened there, if they know about it at all."

**He waited for Harry to say something, but Harry did not oblige, so he went on, 'I have been hoping for an occasion to talk to you ever since I gained office, but Dumbledore has – most understandably, as I say – prevented this.'**

"Good for him," Remus stated. "It sounds as if _Harry_ has enough publicity without adding a meeting with the Minister to it."

"I definitely had more than I wanted," agreed _Harry_.

**Still Harry said nothing, waiting.**

**'The rumours that have flown around!' said Scrimgeour. 'Well, of course, we both know how these stories get distorted ... all these whispers of a prophecy ... of you being the "Chosen One" ...'**

**They were getting near it now, Harry thought, the reason Scrimgeour was here.**

**'... I assume that Dumbledore has discussed these matters with you?'**

**Harry deliberated, wondering whether he ought to lie or not. He looked at the little gnome prints all around the flower- beds, and the scuffed-up patch that marked the spot where Fred had caught the gnome now wearing the tutu at the top of the Christmas tree. Finally, he decided on the truth ... or a bit of it.**

"That's probably the best thing to do in this situation," agreed Remus, though he normally was a believer in the whole truth, he did agree that sometimes it was best to keep some of it back.

**'Yeah, we've discussed it.'**

**'Have you, have you ...' said Scrimgeour. Harry could see, out of the corner of his eyes, Scrimgeour squinting at him, so pretended to be very interested in a gnome that had just poked its head out from underneath a frozen rhododendron. 'And what has Dumbledore told you, Harry?'**

"A lot of very confusing stuff and even if I understood it, I wouldn't tell him," said little Harry firmly.

**'Sorry, but that's between us,' said Harry.**

**He kept his voice as pleasant as he could, and Scrimgeour's tone, too, was light and friendly as he said, 'Oh, of course, if it's a question of confidences, I wouldn't want you to divulge ... no, no ... and in any case, does it really matter whether you are the Chosen One or not?'**

**Harry had to mull that one over for a few seconds before responding.**

**'I don't really know what you mean, Minister.'**

**'Well, of course, to _you _it will matter enormously,' said Scrimgeour with a laugh. 'But to the wizarding community at large ... it's all perception, isn't it? It's what people believe that's important.'**

"Unless they're believing lies," muttered Hermione. "People ought to believe the truth and that's what is important."

**Harry said nothing. He thought he saw, dimly, where they were heading, but he was not going to help Scrimgeour get there. The gnome under the rhododendron was now digging for worms at its roots and Harry kept his eyes fixed upon it.**

**'People believe you _are _the Chosen One, you see,' said Scrimgeour. 'They think you quite the hero – which, of course, you are, Harry, chosen or not! **

"I don't wanna be one," little Harry moaned.

**How many times have you faced He Who Must Not Be Named now?**

"Counting the memory one and Quirrel in the forest?" asked _Harry, _as those weren't in the official count. "By that time, I think it was six times, including those two times."

**Well, anyway,' he pressed on, without waiting for a reply, 'the point is, you are a symbol of hope for many, Harry. The idea that there is somebody out there who might be able, who might even be _destined, _to destroy He Who Must Not Be Named – well, naturally, it gives people a lift. And I can't help but feel that, once you realise this, you might consider it, well, almost a duty, to stand alongside the Ministry, and give everyone a boost.'**

"What does he mean?" wondered little Ginny.

"I think he's saying that Harry should stand with and openly support the Ministry," Arthur answered.

"I doubt that will happen after all that the Ministry has done," Tonks snorted.

**The gnome had just managed to get hold of a worm. It was now tugging very hard on it, trying to get it out of the frozen ground. Harry was silent so long that Scrimgeour said, looking from Harry to the gnome, 'Funny little chaps, aren't they? **

"That was random," commented Neville.

"Randomness is essential for a good life," Luna replied.

**But what say you, Harry?'**

**'I don't exactly understand what you want,' said Harry slowly. '"Stand alongside the Ministry" ... what does that mean?'**

"It means what it says," Sirius sighed.

** 'Oh, well, nothing at all onerous, I assure you,' said Scrimgeour. 'If you were to be seen popping in and out of the Ministry from time to time, for instance, that would give the right impression. And of course, while you were there, you would have ample opportunity to speak to Gawain Robards, my successor as Head of the Auror Office. Dolores Umbridge has told me that you cherish an ambition to become an Auror.**

"He listens to Umbridge?" screeched Molly. "That dratted woman! Why wasn't she prosecuted?"

"I don't know," _Harry_ sighed, "but she was justly punished later on."

"Good," Molly said firmly. "Nothing can be too horrible for that woman and her crimes."

The _Trio_ exchanged a quick look as they were wondering what Molly's reaction to Umbridge in the final books would be, considering her thoughts of the vile woman so far. All of them were certain that something dangerous was bound to happen.

**Well, that could be arranged very easily ...'**

**Harry felt anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach: so Dolores Umbridge was still at the Ministry, was she?**

** 'So basically,' he said, as though he just wanted to clarify a few points, 'you'd like to give the impression that I'm working for the Ministry?'**

"That certainly sounds like it," sighed Arthur, who had a feeling that this wouldn't end well for the Minister.

**'It would give everyone a lift to think you were more involved, Harry,' said Scrimgeour, sounding relieved that Harry had cottoned on so quickly. 'The "Chosen One", you know ... it's all about giving people hope, the feeling that exciting things are happening ...'**

"Yeah, but are they always good things?" asked Charlie. "Honestly, they don't want to let people think good things are happening if nothing is happening. After all, that was the mistake made by Fudge."

**'But if I keep running in and out of the Ministry,' said Harry, still endeavouring to keep his voice friendly, 'won't that seem as though I approve of what the Ministry's up to?'**

**'Well,' said Scrimgeour, frowning slightly, 'well, yes, that's partly why we'd like –'**

"They're trying to get you to be a poster boy!" said a horrified little Hermione.

"Yeah, basically," _Harry_ admitted.

**'No, I don't think that'll work,' said Harry pleasantly. 'You see, I don't like some of the things the Ministry's doing. Locking up Stan Shunpike, for instance.'**

"Come on, Harry, speak your mind!" Tonks cried eagerly.

"Oh, he does it all right," _Ron_ assured with a grin and earning a glare from Harry.

**Scrimgeour did not speak for a moment, but his expression hardened instantly.**

**'I would not expect you to understand,' he said, and he was not as successful at keeping anger out of his voice as Harry had been. 'These are dangerous times, and certain measures need to be taken. You are sixteen years old –'**

"And is a lot better at understanding what Voldemort's up to than you are," Bill finished.

**'Dumbledore's a lot older than sixteen, and he doesn't think Stan should be in Azkaban either,' said Harry. 'You're making Stan a scapegoat, just like you want to make me a mascot.'**

"Good for you, _Harry_!" said Sirius. "Don't let the Ministry control you."

"I never did," _Harry_ answered.

**They looked at each other, long and hard. Finally Scrimgeour said, with no pretence at warmth, 'I see. You prefer – like your hero Dumbledore – to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?'**

"When they're being complete idiots, yeah," _Harry_ muttered angrily. "I don't mind associating myself with the Ministry when there is a competent Minister and Department Heads."

"And you'll be a Head soon," _Ron_ pointed out.

"Not until Peter's resigns," said _Harry_. "And that won't happen for a year or two."

"Anyway, you're the Assistant Head," _Ron_ finished.

"Wait, wouldn't Kingsley be head of the Auror Department after Robards?" questioned Sirius.

"That's correct, but you'll see why there's another Head in our time," said _Harry_.

**'I don't want to be used,' said Harry. **

**'Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!'**

"Yeah, idiots," muttered Bill.

** 'Yeah, and others might say it's your duty to check people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,' said Harry, his temper rising now. **

"Wow, it takes guts to talk back to the Minister!" cried Sirius.

"And normally that might get you in trouble, but considering who _Harry_ is, he won't," said Tonks simply.

"Though the Ministry did treat him horribly the previous year," Remus pointed out gently.

"And worse," _Ginny_ growled under her breath.

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius worriedly.

"Next book," _Harry_ answered with a sigh.

Sirius eyed his godson warily, wondering what had happened with the Ministry in the next year. It definitely wasn't anything good, considering the time travellers reactions.

**'You're doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people, do you? Either we've got Fudge, pretending everything's lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we've got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you've got the Chosen One working for you!'**

"Please tell me someone decent comes along," begged Remus.

"Oh, don't worry," _Hermione_ assured. "The current Minister is one of the best we've ever had."

**'So you're not the Chosen One?' said Scrimgeour.**

**'I thought you said it didn't matter either way?' said Harry, with a bitter laugh. 'Not to you, anyway.'**

**'I shouldn't have said that,' said Scrimgeour quickly. 'It was tactless –'**

"Practically everything he's said is tactless," muttered Remus. "He doesn't even seem like he cares about you."

**'No, it was honest,' said Harry. 'One of the only honest things you've said to me. You don't care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you're winning the war against Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Minister ...'**

**He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh: _I must not tell lies._**

There were many growls and dark glares sent in the direction of the book.

**'I don't remember you rushing to my defence when I was trying to tell everyone Voldemort was back. The Ministry wasn't so keen to be pals last year.'**

"Well, at least they seem to have realized their stupidity, though I think it's a bit too late," Sirius muttered.

"You did get a pardon," Remus reminded his friend, "so at least this time it seems they're starting to get their heads into the right places."

**They stood in silence as icy as the ground beneath their feet. The gnome had finally managed to extricate its worm and was now sucking on it happily, leaning against the bottommost branches of the rhododendron bush.**

**'What is Dumbledore up to?' said Scrimgeour brusquely. 'Where does he go, when he is absent from Hogwarts?'**

**'No idea,' said Harry.**

"And it isn't the students' business," added Molly firmly.

**'And you wouldn't tell me if you knew,' said Scrimgeour, 'would you?'**

**'No, I wouldn't,' said Harry.**

**'Well, then, I shall have to see whether I can't find out by other means.'**

"Why does he want to know anyway?" asked Bill. "What Dumbledore's up to is for his knowledge only unless he chooses to reveal it."

"Thank you, William," said Dumbledore. He paused for a few seconds, then continued, "But there are many things I know, which I should reveal, but can't at the moment or otherwise wish not to reveal."

**'You can try,' said Harry indifferently. 'But you seem cleverer than Fudge,**

"It's not hard to be cleverer than him," said little Ron.

**so I'd have thought you'd have learned from his mistakes. He tried interfering at Hogwarts. You might have noticed he's not Minister any more, but Dumbledore's still Headmaster. I'd leave Dumbledore alone, if I were you.'**

"Wiser words were never spoken," said Arthur.

"They probably were," said Dumbledore, "but I thank you just the same for defending me, _Harry_."

**There was a long pause.**

**'Well, it is clear to me that he has done a very good job on you,' said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. 'Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you, Potter?'**

**'Yeah, I am,' said Harry. 'Glad we straightened that out.'**

"And does that mean you'll be against the Ministry again?" asked Molly worriedly.

**And turning his back on the Minister for Magic, he strode back towards the house.**

"Well, that's it," said _Harry _as he put the book down. He had forgotten how much he had disliked Scrimgeour when he was Minister, but in the end, he had been a good man.

Molly glanced over at the clock. "Should we say one more chapter for the night?"

"I think so," _Harry_ agreed as he looked at the amount left. "We should be able to finish this book tomorrow and get started on the final one."

"Very well," said Molly and she picked up the book and turned the page.

**_A/N Just in case anyone is interested, I've started another RtB series as well titled 'Dumbledore's Propaganda' and involves eight Ministry workers reading the books in 1995 starting with GoF. You can find it on my profile and also on Point Given's forum, and the link for that is also on my profile._**

**_If you'd like to know more about the adventure of the rabbit, you can find that story under my profile along with an explanation of where the idea came from._**

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Yes, Percy is starting to lighten a bit and he is currently eleven, so he's not as grown-up as he is at the start of PS. And yes, Hermione should start loosening a bit, but it is a part of her personality to be rather firm.**_

_**karatequeen78: Thanks for the review.**_

_**Iloveallanime15: Thanks for the review.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoy the philosophical questions as well. I'm really sorry about the long waits between chapters, but life is crazy right now.**_

_**SilverChaser; Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoy the stories and sorry about the wait.**_

_**SLCTFREAK: Thanks for the review.**_

_**Lalalove3: Thanks for the review.**_


	18. A Sluggish Memory

**_A/N I apologize for the long wait, but as I'm now a college student, updates will probably be a bit more on the sporadic side. On the good side, I have officially survived my first semester at college and am back home for Christmas break, but I'll be going back to school on January 2 because I'm doing Interterm, which is a semester packed into about 2 and a half weeks. So, that goes to say, I have no idea when the next update will happen. I'd love to get another chapter out before I go back to school, but I'll just have to see what happens. I am going to finish this series though as I've come so far. I didn't have the time to go through and check for British spelling/terminology, but I'll do that later.  
_**

"This looks like it will be rather interesting," Molly commented.

"Like all the chapter titles," muttered _Harry_.

**A Sluggish Memory**

"That statement can be taken a lot of ways," _Ron_ muttered.

"How so?" inquired little Hermione. "I can only think of it being a slow, not very clear memory."

"Slughorn," Sirius suddenly stated. "It has to do something with Slughorn having a sluggish memory."

"If it is, that is a wonderful pun," Remus added with a smile.

**Late in the afternoon, a few days after New Year, Harry, Ron and Ginny lined up beside the kitchen fire to return to Hogwarts. The Ministry had arranged this one-off connection to the Floo Network to return students quickly and safely to the school. **

"I've never heard of that before," said Bill, "but it does make sense."

"The Floo to Hogwarts is somewhat regularly now," _Harry_ said. "A couple of us have our homes attached there, but we rarely use it."

"Why do you have your homes attached?" Molly wondered.

"Well, considering we're all fairly important members of the wizarding world, McGonagall wanted to ensure easy transport between our homes and Hogwarts in case of an emergency or something along those lines," _Harry_ explained. Thankfully, they hadn't had to use it for anything major yet, but it was a nice safety precaution. It would probably come in even handier when their children started to go to Hogwarts.

**Only Mrs Weasley was there to say goodbye, as Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur were all at work. Mrs Weasley dissolved into tears at the moment of parting. **

"Sure glad you're not that emotional now," said Bill with a slight shudder. One of the most embarrassing moments of his life was when he was going to Hogwarts at eleven. His mum had broken down at the station and being a normal eleven-year-old boy, he hadn't liked it very much.

**Admittedly, it took very little to set her off lately; she had been crying on and off ever since Percy had stormed from the house on Christmas Day with his glasses splattered with mashed parsnip (for which Fred, George and Ginny all claimed credit).**

"And I still do!" _Ginny_ added with a laugh.

"You and George both," _Harry_ pointed out. "Will you two ever give up on joke-arguing over that incident?"

"Not until Percy admits who it was," answered _Ginny_. "And I doubt he knows."

"Can't you just call it a moot point?" _Hermione_ wondered.

"No," _Ginny_ responded. "You can't call moot points in the Weasley family. It takes away all the fun of the argument."

Bill furrowed his eyebrows in a mixture of confusion and fear. Yet again, only George had been mentioned, making him even more certain that something had to have happened to Fred. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind, not wanting to think about the possibilities, but he knew that something had to happen in the future. He didn't know what it was yet, nor did he wish to find out, but he knew that he probably would.

**'Don't cry, Mum,' said Ginny, patting her on the back as Mrs Weasley sobbed into her shoulder. 'It's OK ...'**

**'Yeah, don't worry about us,' said Ron, permitting his mother to plant a very wet kiss on his cheek, 'or about Percy. He's such a prat, it's not really a loss, is it?'**

"_Ron_!" cried _Hermione_ in horror. "How could you?"

"I cannot believe I said that," muttered _Ron _as he buried his head in his hands. At that point, he had no idea what it was like to genuinely loose a sibling. Yes, it had hurt and it had felt like they had lost Percy when he left, but Percy had still been alive. Now though, when he truly understood what loosing a sibling meant, he realized how harsh those words had been. _Ron_ also knew that even if it had been Percy who had died, it still would have been very, very hard for them.

**Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever as she enfolded Harry in her arms.**

**'Promise me you'll look after yourself ... stay out of trouble ...'**

"I try my best to do that," _Harry_ mumbled, "but it doesn't always succeed."

**'I always do, Mrs Weasley,' said Harry. 'I like a quiet life, you know me.'**

"But life doesn't want me to have a quiet life," _Harry_ muttered.

"At least it's sort-of calmed down now," _Ginny_ said quietly.

"Yeah," admitted _Harry_, "but I don't think that paparazzi following me every chance they get is a calmed down sort of life."

"At least you don't have a psycho chasing you anymore," _Ron_ pointed out.

"True," agreed _Harry_. "That at least is nice, but being an Auror doesn't help with getting ride of excitement."

**She gave a watery chuckle and stood back. 'Be good, then, all of you ...' **

"I'm afraid that's an impossibility considering who you're talking to," grinned Charlie.

"I at least can hope," Molly responded. "And at least I don't need to worry about the twins destroying Hogwarts anymore."

"More like worrying about whether or not they'll destroy Diagon Alley," Percy retorted.

"There is that," Molly said slowly.

**Harry stepped into the emerald fire and shouted, 'Hogwarts!'**

**He had one last fleeting view of the Weasleys' kitchen and Mrs Weasley's tearful face before the flames engulfed him; spinning very fast, he caught blurred glimpses of other wizarding rooms, which were whipped out of sight before he could get a proper look; then he was slowing down, finally stopping squarely in the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office. **

"Nice, you ended up in the right place," teased _Ron_.

"Oi!" retorted _Harry_. "It's not like I end up in the wrong place very often … anymore."

"I think the best was when you showed up in the Auror office in your pyjamas instead of Flooing the Burrow," laughed _Ron_.

"What you were you doing?" wondered Sirius, though he too was quaking with laughter.

"Ginny had just gone into labour and I was freaking out," _Harry_ retorted. "It's a mistake that could easily happen to anyone."

"At least Kingsley found it amusing, otherwise you could've been in big trouble," finished _Hermione_.

"Yeah," _Harry_ winced. If anyone had to find him in the middle of the Auror office in his pyjamas, at least it was the Minister for Magic, who just happened to be a very close friend.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt?" queried Dumbledore.

"Yes," _Harry_ answered.

**She barely glanced up from her work as he clambered out over the grate.**

**'Evening, Potter. Try not to get too much ash on the carpet.' **

"Considering it's _Harry_, it's surprising that he didn't fall out of the fireplace," grinned _Ginny_.

"I'm not that bad!" _Harry_ said in defence.

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, but you are," _Ginny_ said very slowly. "You always manage to land flat on your face, no matter which position you climb out of the grate in."

_Harry_ looked slightly sheepish as there wasn't anyway of denying this as it was a fact. He was notorious for falling out of the Floo network and it didn't look too good to have the Deputy Head of the Auror Department landing smack on his face in the middle of the Ministry, which was why he Apparated to work as often as he could.

**'No, Professor.' Harry straightened his glasses and flattened his hair as Ron came spinning into view. When Ginny had arrived, all three of them trooped out of McGonagall's office and off towards Gryffindor Tower. Harry glanced out of the corridor windows as they passed; the sun was already sinking over grounds carpeted in deeper snow than had lain over The Burrow garden. In the distance, he could see Hagrid feeding Buckbeak in front of his cabin.**

**'Baubles,' said Ron confidently, when they reached the Fat Lady, who was looking rather paler than usual, and winced at his loud voice.**

"Not again," groaned Sirius.

"What?" asked Percy.

"The Fat Lady's drunk," Sirius stated.

"I didn't know that portraits could get drunk," said Charlie in surprise.

"It's been known to happen," Sirius grinned.

"Did you cause any trouble while she was intoxicated?" little Harry asked.

For a few seconds Sirius stared at his godson rather flabbergasted. "First off, how do you know that word at age six?" he wondered. "And second, yes, I did cause lots of trouble when she was incapacitated as she wasn't able to keep track of the time."

"I read a lot," little Harry murmured, while looking down at his feet. He had kept the fact that he spent much time in the school library a secret from his aunt and uncle as they would not like it because it might mean he was getting smarter than their 'precious little Dudders'.

"Good for you, Harry," said a proud Remus. "Learning how to love books at a young age is one of the best things anyone can ever do."

"Really?" little Harry asked in astonishment. "Y-You're not mad at me?"

"Why would we be mad?" wondered Remus, though he thought he already knew the reason why.

Little Harry looked down at his feet yet again, but didn't say anything.

"Harry," Sirius said gently. "Is it your aunt and uncle again?" The only response Sirius got was a quick nod, but it was enough confirmation. Now, Sirius wasn't a huge fan of reading, but he believed that people should be allowed to read if they wished. The very idea that someone would prevent this from happening made him extremely angry, but it wasn't surprising to him considering what he had learned so far about the Dursleys.

** 'No,' she said. **

**'What d'you mean, "no"?'**

"She means 'no'," stated _Hermione_.

"I know that," _Ron_ muttered.

"But you asked what she meant by 'no' and now you're stating that you do know what 'no' means," _Hermione_ rattled off, but her face was in a wide grin.

_Ron_ glared at his wife, but said, "I do know what no means and even if I didn't know what no is, I would know that no would be the opposite of yes, so therefore I would know what no means."

"_Ron_, you've been spending too much time with _Hermione_," _Harry_ said with a shake of his head. "I barely was able to keep up with what you were saying."

"Thanks, _Harry_," _Ron_ grinned, "though I wasn't trying to do that."

"Boys," muttered _Ginny_ with a shake of her head.

**'There is a new password,' she said. 'And please don't shout.' **

**'But we've been away, how're we supposed to –?' **

"Don't ask," sighed Sirius.

**'Harry! Ginny!' Hermione **

"Oh, good, she'll know it," said Molly in relief.

"It's not like we haven't been locked out of the common room before," _Ron_ muttered, but he understood his mum's meaning.

**was hurrying towards them, very pink-faced and wearing a cloak, hat and gloves. 'I got back a couple of hours ago, I've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck— I mean Witherwings,' she said breathlessly. 'Did you have a good Christmas?'**

**'Yeah,' said Ron at once, 'pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim—'**

"Don't tell the entire world!" cried Bill.

"It was just _Hermione_," _Ron_ muttered. "Yes, I know mentioning it in front of the entrance to the common room wasn't a smart idea, but it was important for her to know.

**'I've got something for you, Harry,' said Hermione, neither looking at Ron nor giving any sign that she had heard him. 'Oh, hang on – password. _Abstinence.'_**

"Perfect password considering she was drunk," _Ron_ muttered.

"Probably it's to remind her for next year," grinned Bill.

"Like that will ever happen," Sirius laughed. "She got like that every Christmas during my seven years."

"Did she act like that for you, Professor?" asked little Ron, looking curiously at Dumbledore.

"That she did," Dumbledore answered. "I must say, that during my tenure as a student, I found it quite amusing, and in fact, I still do."

"Albus, there are children present," reprimanded Molly.

"Mum, it's not like we're going to do that," protested little Ginny.

"Yes, but at the same time, lechery is not something that should be talked about in front of children," Molly replied.

**'Precisely,' said the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung forwards to reveal the portrait hole.**

**'What's up with her?' asked Harry.**

"It's not obvious?" wondered Charlie.

"I hadn't known it was possible for portraits to get drunk," _Harry_ defended. "Anyway, you're one to talk as you only just found out."

**'Overindulged over Christmas, apparently,' said Hermione, rolling her eyes as she led the way into the packed common room. 'She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. **

**Anyway ...'**

**She rummaged in her pocket for a moment, then pulled out a scroll of parchment with Dumbledore's writing on it.**

"So what will you learn about Voldemort this time?" wondered Charlie.

"Something that has to do with Slughorn obviously," Bill answered.

**'Great,' said Harry, unrolling it at once to discover that his next lesson with Dumbledore was scheduled for the following night. 'I've got loads to tell him – and you. Let's sit down –'**

**But at that moment there was a loud squeal of 'Won-Won!'**

A loud groan came from the majority of the members of the room.

"Don't worry, the time of departure for the two of us is getting close," _Ron_ assured.

"Good," said Tonks firmly. "I can't stand her for much longer."

"I still want to know how I stood her," _Ron_ muttered under his breath.

"You were being an idiot," replied _Hermione_. "That's the only conceivable option."

**and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. Several onlookers sniggered; Hermione gave a tinkling laugh and said, 'There's a table over here ... coming, Ginny?'**

**'No, thanks, I said I'd meet Dean,' said Ginny, though Harry could not help noticing that she did not sound very enthusiastic.**

"Please tell me she breaks up with him," Bill begged. Little Ginny glared sharply at her older brother while _Ginny_ just groaned.

"It obviously has to happen considering who she married," Percy pointed out.

"I know that," retorted Bill, "but I simply want the break-up to happen soon."

** Leaving Ron and Lavender locked in a kind of vertical wrestling match,**

"Thanks for that," _Ron_ said with a slight glare in _Harry's _direction.

** Harry led Hermione over to the spare table.**

**'So how was your Christmas?'**

**'Oh, fine,' she shrugged. 'Nothing special. How was it at Won-Won's?'**

"You called me that?" _Ron_ asked incredulously.

"Uh, yeah," _Hermione_ admitted a bit awkwardly.

_Ron_ groaned and threw up his hands. "Please set a good example for Rose," he said with a laugh. "I don't want her to grow up thinking that's her daddy's name."

"_Ron_!" cried an incredulous _Hermione_. "I'd never do something like that. And besides, she's asleep, not to mention only a few days old and not old enough to pay attention to anything, let alone names."

**'I'll tell you in a minute,' said Harry. 'Look, Hermione, can't you –?'**

**'No, I can't,' she said flatly. 'So don't even ask.' **

**'I thought maybe, you know, over Christmas –' **

**'It was the Fat Lady who drank a vat of five-hundred-year- old wine, Harry, not me. **

"So are you implying that if we'd gotten you drunk over Christmas that you would've forgiven me earlier?" inquired _Ron_.

"_Ronald_!" _Hermione_ cried through her laughter. "And no, you are not allowed to try and get me drunk."

**So what was this important news you wanted to tell me?'**

**She looked too fierce to argue with at that moment,**

"At least you seem to be learning," _Hermione_ muttered under her breath.

"Oi!"

**so Harry dropped the subject of Ron and recounted all that he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape.**

**When he had finished, Hermione sat in thought for a moment and then said, 'Don't you think –?'**

**'– he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?'**

"At least you realize that's a possibility," Remus said.

"I think I'm only saying it because you and Dad had said it," _Harry_ replied.

**'Well, yes,' said Hermione.**

**'Ron's dad and Lupin think so,' Harry said grudgingly. 'But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that.'**

**'No, I can't,' she answered slowly.**

**'And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!'**

**'Hmm ... did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?'**

"Like any of them would," muttered Sirius under his breath.

**Harry frowned, trying to remember.**

**'I'm not sure ... Snape definitely said "your master", and who else would that be?'**

"No one, right?" said Fred slowly.

"_Hermione_ manages to come up with one," _Harry_ grinned.

"_Harry_!"

**'I don't know,' said Hermione, biting her lip. 'Maybe his father?'**

Sirius snorted. "I highly doubt Draco would refer to his father as 'master'. He might be scared enough of his father to think of him as one, but he's too proud at the same time. Lucius and my father are cut from the same cloth, but I sure didn't call him 'master'. I didn't even address him if it was avoidable."

**She stared across the room, apparently lost in thought, not even noticing Lavender tickling Ron. 'How's Lupin?'**

**'Not great,' said Harry, and he told her all about Lupin's mission among the werewolves and the difficulties he was facing. 'Have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?'**

**'Yes, I have!' said Hermione, sounding startled. 'And so have you, Harry!'**

**'When, History of Magic?**

"Binns wouldn't mention it there as it's too modern for him," said Remus with a forced laugh.

** You know full well I never listened ...'**

"As if anyone does," muttered Charlie.

"Oi!" cried Remus, Bill, and _Hermione_.

"Minus you three of course," Charlie quickly added.

**'No, no, not History of Magic – Malfoy threatened Borgin with him!' said Hermione. 'Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress!'**

**Harry gaped at her. 'I forgot! But this _proves _Malfoy's a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?'**

"It's not direct proof yet, but it certainly is suspicious," Arthur murmured. "When it comes to whether or not people are Death Eaters, one has to be absolutely certain before the accusation. However, I do suspect that Draco is aligned with them, if not a member. Being a member of the Black and Malfoy families certainly doesn't help him in this position."

**'It is pretty suspicious,' breathed Hermione. 'Unless ...'**

"It's not," Sirius assured, causing several people to look at him in confusion. "No Malfoy or Black would do something like that."

"Do something like what?" asked little Hermione.

"Use an empty threat," Sirius explained.

**'Oh, come on,' said Harry in exasperation, 'you can't get round this one!'**

**'Well ... there is the possibility it was an empty threat.'**

"Malfoy's don't make empty threats," Sirius stated firmly.

**'You're unbelievable, you are,' said Harry, shaking his head. 'We'll see who's right ... you'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah, I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well ...'**

"That's one way to break it," laughed Remus.

**And the rest of the evening passed amicably with both of them abusing the Minister for Magic, for Hermione, like Ron, thought that after all the Ministry had put Harry through the previous year, they had a great nerve asking him for help now.**

"Even though it was a different Minister, it still wasn't courteous of them," _Hermione_ said.

**The new term started next morning with a pleasant surprise for the sixth-years: a large sign had been pinned to the common-room noticeboards overnight.**

**_APPARITION LESSONS_**

"So, we'll be able to hear about your Apparition successes and failures," said Bill with a grin. He couldn't wait to get his license now that he was seventeen and knew he'd get it sometime in the next few weeks. Yes, he had Apparated several times already, mainly for practice, but he had done it on his birthday in the house and in some ways, that meant he was a full adult.

**_If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before 31st August, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition Instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons._**

**Harry and Ron joined the crowd that was jostling around the notice and taking it in turns to write their names underneath. Ron was just taking out his quill to sign after Hermione when Lavender crept up behind him, slipped her hands over his eyes and trilled, 'Guess who, Won-Won?'**

"I don't think I can stand having her as a major character for much longer," Charlie muttered under his breath.

"She shouldn't be around for too much longer," assured _Ron_ yet again. "This is what, early January? She should be out of the main picture within a few chapters."

**Harry turned to see Hermione stalking off; he caught up with her, having no wish to stay behind with Ron and Lavender, but to his surprise, Ron caught them up only a little way beyond the portrait hole, his ears bright red and his expression disgruntled. Without a word, Hermione sped up to walk with Neville.**

**'So – Apparition,' said Ron, his tone making it perfectly plain that Harry was not to mention what had just happened. 'Should be a laugh, eh?'**

"Definitely wasn't that," _Ron_ muttered, but at least none of his Apparition lessons had gone too badly, except for that stupid half-eyebrow.

"What did you do?" wondered Bill.

"Nothing that bad," defended _Ron_.

"Somehow I doubt that," Charlie muttered.

"For once, Ron's right," _Hermione_ responded.

"Oi!" _Ron_ cried amidst all the laughter.

"So, he did mess up, but only slightly," mused Bill. "Hardly anyone manages to avoid all disasters while learning to Apparate."

**'I dunno,' said Harry. 'Maybe it's better when you do it yourself, I didn't enjoy it much when Dumbledore took me along for the ride.'**

**'I forgot you'd already done it ... I'd better pass my test first time,' said Ron, looking anxious. 'Fred and George did.'**

"What?" asked the twins in surprise.

"See, they're good at stuff when they want to learn," _Ron_ pointed out.

Molly nodded in admittance. Throughout these books, she had been learning a lot about her children. She was beginning to realize exactly how different some of them where and how even the twins had a serious side to their natures, something she hadn't thought to be possible.

**'Charlie failed, though, didn't he?'**

"What?" asked Charlie as his mouth dropped open.

"Not everyone passes the first time," replied Arthur. "It's quite common not to."

"Sort of like getting a driver's license?" inquired little Hermione.

"Yes," _Hermione_ answered. "It's along the same idea."

** 'Yeah, but Charlie's bigger than me,' Ron held his arms out from his body as though he were a gorilla, **

"Oi!" cried Charlie with a laugh. "And I don't think size has too much to do with the ability to Apparate."

"Not technically, but generally, it's easier to Apparate if you're smaller because there is less mass that one needs to think about," explained Remus. "Statically speaking, taller or simply bigger people are more apt to Splinch themselves than petite people."

"What about average size?" questioned little Hermione.

"Then chances are you'll do fine," assured Remus, "but you don't need to worry about that yet."

**'so Fred and George didn't go on about it much ... not to his face, anyway ...'**

**'When can we take the actual test?' **

**'Soon as we're seventeen. That's only March for me!' **

**'Yeah, but you wouldn't be able to Apparate in here, not in the castle ...' **

"The point of being able to do it is what matters," shrugged Bill.

**'Not the point, is it? Everyone would know I _could_ Apparate if I wanted.'**

"You two are really similar," sighed _Hermione_ with a shake of her head.

** Ron was not the only one to be excited at the prospect of Apparition. All that day there was much talk about the forthcoming lessons; a great deal of store was set by being able to vanish and reappear at will.**

"Not to mention that it's a lot easier than Flooing," muttered _Harry_.

"Not everyone shares that opinion," _Ginny_ said rather calmly. She didn't like the squeezing feeling that came with Apparition and it probably didn't help she was expecting either. Both forms of magical travel were extremely uncomfortable, but spinning was a little easier to deal with, at least it didn't make her as sick.

**'How cool will it be when we can just –' Seamus clicked his fingers to indicate disappearance. 'Me cousin Fergus does it just to annoy me, you wait till I can do it back ... he'll never have another peaceful moment ...'**

"Oh boy," groaned Bill when he saw the glint in the twins' eyes and he knew that they'd be in for a lot of pranks when the twins started to Apparate.

**Lost in visions of this happy prospect, he flicked his wand a little too enthusiastically, so that instead of producing the fountain of pure water that was the object of that day's Charms lesson, he let out a hoselike jet that ricocheted off the ceiling and knocked Professor Flitwick flat on his face.**

"Flitwick really ought to be used to things like that happening," sighed Charlie, knowing it happened all to often.

"I'm not that bad!" Tonks defended.

"How many times have you hit him in the last four years?" Charlie inquired. "Either with an object or a spell?"

"I think only a dozen times," shrugged Tonks.

"Which is more than he normally gets hit by the average student," Charlie continued. "So, therefore, you're a klutz as you've hit him the most times."

"There really should be a prize for the student who manages to hit Flitwick the most times during the seven years," Sirius stated, but he quickly added. "Accidentally of course," when he saw the glint in the twins' eyes.

"Don't give them ideas!" Remus protested.

"I think it's too late," Bill moaned, knowing that once the twins got to Hogwarts, it would be a blessing if Hogwarts survived. Not for the first time was he thankful that he would graduate before they arrived.

"Don't worry, these books have proven that Hogwarts managed to survive the twins," stated Arthur rather amusedly.

"Dad!" Fred and George cried together.

"Now of course, the question is, will Diagon Alley be able to survive them," Arthur finished.

"Arthur!" Molly cried while everyone else laughed.

"It hasn't been exploded yet," _Ron_ said, "but parts of the shop have nearly exploded at times."

"I'm genuinely worried about what will happen once James, Fred, and Louis are old enough to cause intentional mischief," muttered _Ginny_.

"I'm afraid they're already doing that," _Harry_ sighed, "but yes, it will be extremely chaotic when they can be organized about their intentional mischief."

**'Harry's already Apparated,' Ron told a slightly abashed Seamus, after Professor Flitwick had dried himself off with a wave of his wand and set Seamus lines _('I am a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick'). _'Dum— er – someone took him. Side-Along-Apparition, you know.'**

"Like it isn't obvious you were about to say 'Dumbledore'", muttered Bill. "Not that many people's names begin with 'Dum'."

**'Whoa!' whispered Seamus, and he, Dean and Neville put their heads a little closer to hear what Apparition felt like. For the rest of the day, Harry was besieged with requests from the other sixth-years to describe the sensation of Apparition.**

"Wouldn't some of them have been Side-Alonged?" asked Sirius.

"Some parents wish to avoid Side-Along Apparition if it is possible," Arthur replied. "It isn't supposed to be very healthy for young children. Also, it's much harder to Apparate when Side-Alonging someone."

**All of them seemed awed, rather than put off, when he told them how uncomfortable it was, and he was still answering detailed questions at ten to eight that evening, when he was forced to lie and say that he needed to return a book to the library, so as to escape in time for his lesson with Dumbledore.**

"If I hadn't known what you were up to, I wouldn't have bought it," sighed _Hermione_ with a shake of her head.

**The lamps in Dumbledore's office were lit, the portraits of previous headmasters were snoring gently in their frames and the Pensieve was ready upon the desk once more. Dumbledore's hands lay either side of it, the right one as blackened and burned-looking as ever. It did not seem to have healed at all and Harry wondered, for perhaps the hundredth time, what had caused such a distinctive injury, but did not ask; Dumbledore had said that he would know eventually and there was, in any case, another subject he wanted to discuss. But before Harry could say anything about Snape and Malfoy, Dumbledore spoke.**

**'I hear that you met the Minister for Magic over Christmas?'**

**'Yes,' said Harry. 'He's not very happy with me.'**

"That certainly isn't a change," grinned little Harry.

**'No,' sighed Dumbledore. 'He is not very happy with me, either. We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on.'**

"Even if it means fighting a bunch of morons," Sirius added gleefully. "At least they're usually easier to deal with when it comes to hand to hand combat, discussion wise …" Sirius let his voice trail off as no one wanted to know what happened when discussing anything with a complete moron, in other words, most of the Ministry officials.

"Everything goes in circles," _Harry_ finished. "I've had my fair share of conversations with those ministry officials."

_Hermione_ let out a long sigh. "The problem is that hardly anyone in the Ministry knows how to think."

"But don't they know how to do their job?" wondered Percy. "That's how you get one, right? You know how to do it?"

"That's part of it," agreed _Hermione_, "but there's a difference between knowing that knowing how to think. The problem with society lies in the fact that hardly anyone knows how to think, or philosophize, anymore."

"That's a wonderful point, _Hermione_," Remus said. "After all, the best rulers are philosophers."

"What?" asked Neville.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna said in repsonce. "If you know how to think, you know how to do things even better than simply knowing how to do things."

"Where'd you get that idea?" wondered Charlie.

"Where else, Plato," Remus answered. "Though it was probably Socrates' idea."

"Play-dough, that clay-like stuff?" wondered little Ginny.

"No dear, Plato," Arthur said gently. "He was an ancient Greek philosopher."

"Philosopher, like the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Neville.

"No," answered Remus. "More along the lines of a 'great thinker'."

"Oh."

**Harry grinned.**

**'He wanted me to tell the wizarding community that the Ministry's doing a wonderful job.'**

Several snorts were heard around the room at that.

"I at least can say they were improving, if every so slightly," _Harry_ said rather slowly. "Scrimgeour certainly was better than Fudge, but still, he wasn't quite the right man for the job."

"At least the right man for the job currently is in the position," _Ginny_ sighed.

"Agreed," stated _Hermione_. "I'm glad they chose him right away. It goes to show that the Ministry finally recovered their senses."

"I suppose it is pointless to ask who you are talking about?" inquired Remus and in answer he received several nods in the affirmative.

"If it's not mentioned, we will tell you," _Harry_ assured, "but I'm certain it will be at the end of the seventh book."

**Dumbledore smiled.**

**'It was Fudge's idea originally,**

"So that's why it's so bad," grinned Tonks. "Anything that can come out of that porridge of a brain is bound to be bad."

** you know. During his last days in office, when he was trying desperately to cling to his post, he sought a meeting with you, hoping that you would give him your support –'**

"Considering everything that the Ministry has done, I would have been very surprised if you had supported him openly," Remus said.

**'After everything Fudge did last year?' said Harry angrily. 'After _Umbridge?'_**

**'I told Cornelius there was no chance of it, but the idea did not die when he left office. **

"Even if everything he wants to do is pointless, he'll still try to do it," groaned Sirius. "Remind me again, how did he become Minister?"

"Well, the leader reflects the people," Remus began slowly. "So, as he's an idiot, I'd guess that the majority of those who voted for him were idiots to some degree or other."

**Within hours of Scrimgeour's appointment we met and he demanded that I arrange a meeting with you –'**

**'So that's why you argued!' Harry blurted out. 'It was in the _Daily Prophet.' _**

**'The _Prophet _is bound to report the truth occasionally,'**

"I doubt it's deliberately truthful very often," Sirius muttered angrily.

"At least _The Prophet_ has improved on it's reliability," _Ginny_ murmured, "most of the time at least."

"The general information is correct," _Hermione_ replied, "it's when they're 'reporting' on anyone famous that things get messy."

"And by famous, you mean anything to do with our families," muttered _Harry_, who hated the fact that anyone close to him, mainly the Weasleys, were mentioned in the paper nearly every day. If the information was true, perhaps he wouldn't mind it so much, but when the writers started making assumptions, that's what made him angry. At the same time, they couldn't control everything that the press wrote, but at least laws were being made to stop libel.

**said Dumbledore, 'if only accidentally. Yes, that was why we argued. Well, it appears that Rufus found a way to corner you at last.'**

"But did he?" wondered Bill.

**'He accused me of being "Dumbledore's man through and through".'**

**'How very rude of him.' **

**'I told him I was.' **

"It was smart of you to use his words against himself," Sirius said in admiration.

"Thanks," replied a slightly red _Harry_. He would never get used to being told he was smart, intelligent, or anything along those lines no matter how many times it happened. It was a somewhat regular occurrence now, but it still caused him a certain degree of discomfort.

Sirius looked at his godson thoughtfully. He was thankful that he was starting to get to know _Harry_ better, thus helping him to understand why his godson reacted to certain things in certain ways. Sadly, Sirius could see too many parallels between _Harry's_ life growing up and his own. He slowly turned his gaze from the older version of Harry to little Harry who was still in his lap. Slowly a smile crept onto Sirius' face and the resolution to raise little Harry in a safe, loving environment increased even more. He didn't want anyone else, especially his godson, to have a childhood like his. Even though he hated what both his godson and he had gone through, he knew that having that similarity in background would help them understand each other.

**Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry's intense embarrassment, he suddenly realised that Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady.**

**'I am very touched, Harry.'**

**'Scrimgeour wanted to know where you go when you're not at Hogwarts,' said Harry, still looking fixedly at his knees.**

**'Yes, he is very nosy about that,' said Dumbledore, now sounding cheerful, and Harry thought it safe to look up again. 'He has even attempted to have me followed.**

"Attempted?" questioned Percy.

"It's downright impossible to follow Dumbledore if he doesn't wish to be followed," _Harry_ stated. "Believe me, I've seen people try."

**Amusing, really. He set Dawlish to tail me. It wasn't kind. I have already been forced to jinx Dawlish once; I did it again with the greatest regret.'**

"Somehow I doubt that," Sirius murmured. "Dawlish would deserve it."

**'So they still don't know where you go?' asked Harry, hoping for more information on this intriguing subject, but Dumbledore merely smiled over the top of his half-moon spectacles.**

**'No, they don't, and the time is not quite right for you to know, either.**

"Oh, come on!" begged Charlie.

"Now, I'm certain I have my reasons," Dumbledore replied rather slowly, but he was curious if he would ever tell Harry the complete truth about Voldemort. From what _Harry_ had said, it seemed like _Harry_ had gained that knowledge, but was it from him or had _Harry_ simply found things out?

** Now, I suggest we press on, unless there's anything else –?'**

**'There is, actually, sir,' said Harry. 'It's about Malfoy and Snape.'**

"Good, you're finally going to tell him," sighed Molly.

**_'Professor _Snape, Harry.'**

**'Yes, sir. I overheard them during Professor Slughorn's party ... well, I followed them, actually ...'**

"Why'd you add that?" asked Neville.

"I don't know," _Harry_ shrugged.

**Dumbledore listened to Harry's story with an impassive face. When Harry had finished he did not speak for a few moments, then said, 'Thank you for telling me this, Harry, but I suggest that you put it out of your mind. I do not think that it is of great importance.'**

"Not of great importance?" Remus repeated. "Albus, whatever this is, it has to be important."

"Alas, I am not blessed with the knowledge of why I am saying that," Dumbledore replied. "I would assume I know and understand what is going on though, thus my response

**'Not of great importance?' repeated Harry incredulously. 'Professor, did you understand –?'**

_Ron_ stared at _Harry_ in shock for a few seconds, extremely surprised that Harry had thought Dumbledore hadn't understood something.

**'Yes, Harry, blessed as I am with extraordinary brainpower, I understood everything you told me,' said Dumbledore, a little sharply. 'I think you might even consider the possibility that I understood more than you did. Again, I am glad that you have confided in me, but let me reassure you that you have not told me anything that causes me disquiet.'**

"Is it even possible to surprise Dumbledore?" wondered Bill.

"Somehow I doubt it, but if anyone can surprise him, my money is on Harry," stated Charlie.

"Did you?" wondered Neville

"Uh, I don't think so," _Harry_ said quickly.

"I'd say surviving that night surprised him," _Hermione_ said gently.

"Yeah, that's true, but that was mum's doing," answered _Harry_. "She made it possible for me to survive. It wasn't anything I did."

**Harry sat in seething silence, glaring at Dumbledore. What was going on? Did this mean that Dumbledore had indeed ordered Snape to find out what Malfoy was doing, in which case he had already heard everything Harry had just told him from Snape? Or was he really worried by what he had heard, but pretending not to be?**

"That might be a plausible explanation," mused Dumbledore.

**'So, sir,' said Harry, in what he hoped was a polite, calm voice, 'you definitely still trust –?'**

**'I have been tolerant enough to answer that question already,' said Dumbledore, but he did not sound very tolerant any more. 'My answer has not changed.'**

"And I still want to know why you have that answer," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"All will be revealed," said _Harry_ yet again. "Please, just be patient, Sirius." Harry knew that everything regarding Snape would be revealed, but that wouldn't be until the end of the next book. He was extremely worried about what Sirius would do when Snape 'killed' Dumbledore. He had a feeling that something might get destroyed, but hopefully they'd be able to calm Sirius down fairly quickly.

**'I should think not,' said a snide voice; Phineas Nigellus was evidently only pretending to be asleep. Dumbledore ignored him.**

"Like everybody should," grumped Sirius.

**'And now, Harry, I must insist that we press on. I have more important things to discuss with you this evening.'**

"More important than the fact that Malfoy may be associated with Death Eaters?" Percy asked in surprise. "What could that be?"

"Uh, Voldemort's background?" suggested Fred tentatively.

**Harry sat there feeling mutinous. How would it be if he refused to permit the change of subject, if he insisted upon arguing the case against Malfoy? As though he had read Harry's mind, Dumbledore shook his head.**

**'Ah, Harry, how often this happens, even between the best of friends! Each of us believes that what he has to say is much more important than anything the other might have to contribute!'**

**'I don't think what you've got to say is unimportant, sir,' said Harry stiffly.**

**'Well, you are quite right, because it is not,' said Dumbledore briskly. 'I have two more memories to show you this evening, both obtained with enormous difficulty, and the second of them is, I think, the most important I have collected.'**

"Sluggy's?" inquired Sirius with a laugh. "I doubt anything of his is that important."

"You'd be surprised," responded _Harry_. "Some of the most important information about Voldemort came from Slughorn."

**Harry did not say anything to this; he still felt angry at the reception his confidences had received, but could not see what was to be gained by arguing further.**

**'So,' said Dumbledore, in a ringing voice, 'we meet this evening to continue the tale of Tom Riddle, whom we left last lesson poised on the threshold of his years at Hogwarts. You will remember how excited he was to hear that he was a wizard, that he refused my company on a trip to Diagon Alley and that I, in turn, warned him against continued thievery when he arrived at school.**

**'Well, the start of the school year arrived and with it came Tom Riddle, a quiet boy in his second-hand robes, who lined up with the other first-years to be Sorted. He was placed in Slytherin house almost the moment that the Sorting Hat touched his head,' continued Dumbledore, waving his blackened hand towards the shelf over his head where the Sorting Hat sat, ancient and unmoving. 'How soon Riddle learned that the famous founder of the house could talk to snakes, I do not know – perhaps that very evening.**

"It's Slytherin, they tell the story of how great Slytherin was that very evening," muttered Sirius darkly.

** The knowledge can only have excited him and increased his sense of self- importance.**

"No wonder all the Snakes are big-headed," grumped Charlie.

"Not all of them are," _Harry_ said quite calmly. "I've known some humble Slytherins and big-headed members of other houses."

"Humble Slytherin?" asked Sirius in surprise. "That's an oxymoron."

"Considering you're related to one of the Slytherin's I'm thinking of, I don't think you can say that," retorted _Harry_.

"Who?" Sirius asked, suddenly rather worried.

"Andy," _Harry_ said simply. "Your cousin, Andromeda."

"Wait, you know her?" Sirius asked again.

"Yes, I do," _Harry_ replied, "considering I know Tonks here, I ought to know her mother."

"No you don't!" Tonks cried in horror.

"Now, now," _Harry_ said gently. "She's a wonderful and caring person."

"That's true," Sirius admitted. "She's the only one who still accepted me when I became a Gryffindor, but after she married Ted, she was kicked out of the family and though I did see her a few times after Tonks here was born, it's been several years since I've seen her."

"Well, maybe after this is over, you can come over and visit," Tonks suggested. "I used to love it when you came over for a few hours."

"If Andromeda will accept me again, that would be a relief," Sirius admitted. "We're the two white sheep of the Black family."

"Isn't the term 'black sheep' usually used?" wondered little Hermione.

"Yes, but considering that Andromeda and I are the only two members of the Black family not affiliated with Death Eater in some way, shape, or form, we consider ourselves to be white sheep," Sirius explained.

"Plus, it's a fun play on words," Tonks added, "which is something Sirius has always enjoyed."

"Oi!" Sirius cried though his laughter

"You know it's true," Remus pointed out.

"Didn't you also say you know some big-headed members of other classes?" asked Tonks.

"Yes," _Harry_ admitted.

"May I ask who?"

"Zacharias Smith for one," answered _Harry_. "And Cormic McLaggen."

"Okay, okay!" Sirius cried. "I'll admit that there are big-heads in the other houses, but with the exception of Andromeda, Slytherins are big-headed."

_Harry_ sighed and shook his head, knowing that there was no way to change his godfather's way of thinking, but he wished there was.

**'However, if he was frightening or impressing fellow Slytherins with displays of Parseltongue in their common room, no hint of it reached the staff. He showed no sign of outward arrogance or aggression at all. **

"Signs of the best at bullying," _Harry_ said with a slight shudder, earning several concerned looks, but he ignored them.

**As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.'**

There were several shudders in the room at the thought of people being 'favourably impressed' by Voldemort.

**'Didn't you tell them, sir, what he'd been like when you met him at the orphanage?' asked Harry.**

**'No, I did not. Though he had shown no hint of remorse, it was possible that he felt sorry for how he had behaved before and was resolved to turn over a fresh leaf. I chose to give him that chance.'**

Dumbledore sighed and looked down at his lap. There were times when he wondered if he should have told the staff exactly what young Tom had been like, but he was a firm believer in second chances and doing so would not have been giving Tom that chance.

**Dumbledore paused and looked enquiringly at Harry, who had opened his mouth to speak. Here, again, was Dumbledore's tendency to trust people in spite of overwhelming evidence that they did not deserve it! But then Harry remembered something ... **

**'But you didn't _really _trust him, sir, did you? He told me ... the Riddle who came out of that diary said "Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did".'**

"Because I was a little more wary with him," sighed Dumbledore.

**'Let us say that I did not take it for granted that he was trustworthy,' said Dumbledore. 'I had, as I have already indicated, resolved to keep a close eye upon him, and so I did. I cannot pretend that I gleaned a great deal from my observations at first. He was very guarded with me; he felt, I am sure, that in the thrill of discovering his true identity he had told me a little too much. He was careful never to reveal as much again, but he could not take back what he had let slip in his excitement, nor what Mrs Cole had confided in me. However, he had the sense never to try and charm me as he charmed so many of my colleagues.**

"I doubt he ever had any sense except for that," muttered Bill.

**'As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; **

"I doubt that," huffed Sirius.

**I call them that, for want of a better term, although as I have already indicated, Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish, gravitating towards a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts.**

**'Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrong-doing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, **

"But were involved in," added George.

"Most likely," Dumbledore agreed.

**the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl. As you know, Hagrid was wrongly accused of that crime.**

**'I have not been able to find many memories of Riddle at Hogwarts,' said Dumbledore, placing his withered hand on the Pensieve. 'Few who knew him then are prepared to talk about him; they are too terrified.**

"That's no surprise," muttered Charlie.

**What I know, I found out after he had left Hogwarts, after much painstaking effort, after tracing those few who could be tricked into speaking, after searching old records and questioning Muggle and wizard witnesses alike.**

**'Those whom I could persuade to talk told me that Riddle was obsessed with his parentage. This is understandable, of course; he had grown up in an orphanage and naturally wished to know how he came to be there. It seems that he searched in vain for some trace of Tom Riddle Senior on the shields in the trophy room, on the lists of prefects in the old school records, even in the books of wizarding history. Finally he was forced to accept that his father had never set foot in Hogwarts. I believe that it was then that he dropped the name for ever, assumed the identity of Lord Voldemort, and began his investigations into his previously despised mother's family – the woman whom, you will remember, he had thought could not be a witch if she had succumbed to the shameful human weakness of death.**

**'All he had to go upon was the single name "Marvolo", which he knew from those who ran the orphanage had been his mother's father's name.**

"It's an unusual enough name that it should have been fairly easy for him to find it," Remus said with a sigh. "Too bad it wasn't something like Will or Dave."

** Finally, after painstaking research through old books of wizarding families, he discovered the existence of Slytherin's surviving line. In the summer of his sixteenth year, he left the orphanage to which he returned annually and set off to find his Gaunt relatives.**

"That's not going to go over very well," winced Bill, "especially considering what they're like and what Riddle's ideal image of Slytherins heirs would be like."

** And now, Harry, if you will stand ...'**

**Dumbledore rose, and Harry saw that he was again holding a small crystal bottle filled with swirling, pearly memory.**

**'I was very lucky to collect this,' he said, as he poured the gleaming mass into the Pensieve. 'As you will understand when we have experienced it. **

"That's always fun to hear," laughed Bill, "but that's what a lot of life is like."

**Shall we?'**

**Harry stepped up to the stone basin and bowed obediently until his face sank through the surface of the memory; he felt the familiar sensation of falling through nothingness and then landed upon a dirty stone floor into almost total darkness.**

**It took him several seconds to recognise the place, by which time Dumbledore had landed beside him. The Gaunts' house was now more indescribably filthy than anywhere Harry had ever seen.**

"It got worse?" asked little Ginny in amazement.

"Looks like it," little Hermione said, also in surprise, but then, it was possible for almost everything to get worse.

** The ceiling was thick with cobwebs, the floor coated in grime; mouldy and rotting food lay upon the table amidst a mass of crusted pots. **

"Looks like some people either left in a hurry or whoever's living there, doesn't know how to clean," mused Tonks.

"I doubt any of the Gaunts knew how to clean," Charlie retorted.

**The only light came from a single guttering candle placed at the feet of a man with hair and beard so overgrown Harry could see neither eyes nor mouth. He was slumped in an armchair by the fire, and Harry wondered for a moment whether he was dead. But then there came a loud knock on the door and the man jerked awake, raising a wand in his right hand, and a short knife in his left.**

"Paranoid much?" asked _Ginny_.

**The door creaked open. There on the threshold, holding an old-fashioned lamp, stood a boy Harry recognised at once: tall, pale, dark-haired and handsome – the teenage**

Molly stopped for a brief moment and quickly looked up.

"Just read the name, Mum," Percy said gently. "It's only a name."

"You were scared of it just as we all are," replied Molly.

"I know," Percy admitted, "but it's just a name and 'what's in a name'?"

"Argh! Don't start quoting Shakespeare on us!" cried Sirius.

"Why not?" inquired Percy, but Sirius didn't answer and instead motioned for Molly to continue.

**Voldemort.**

Molly's breath quickened for a brief moment after reading the name, then she glanced down and saw that she had to read it once again. She swallowed once, then quickly read the horrible name once again.

**Voldemort's eyes moved slowly around the hovel and then found the man in the armchair. For a few seconds they looked at each other, then the man staggered upright, the many empty bottles at his feet clattering and tinkling across the floor.**

**'YOU!' he bellowed. 'YOU!'**

**And he hurtled drunkenly at Riddle, wand and knife held aloft.**

"He probably thinks it's Voldemort's father," said Remus calmly as everyone else looked rather confused.

**_'Stop.'_**

**Riddle spoke in Parseltongue. The man skidded into the table, sending mouldy pots crashing to the floor. He stared at Riddle. There was a long silence while they contemplated each other. The man broke it.**

**_'You speak it?'_**

**_'Yes, I speak it,' _said Riddle. He moved forwards into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. Harry could not help but feel a resentful admiration for Voldemort's complete lack of fear. **

"Except for death," _Ron_ finished. "And _Harry_ and Dumbledore of course."

**His face merely expressed disgust and, perhaps, disappointment.**

**_'Where is Marvolo?' _he asked. **

"Straight to the point," commented Charlie.

**_'Dead,' _said the other. _'Died years ago, didn't he?' _**

**Riddle frowned. _'Who are you, then?' _**

**_'I'm Morfin, ain't I?' _**

**_'Marvolo's son?' _**

**_'Course I am, then ...' _Morfin pushed the hair out of his dirty face, the better to see Riddle, and Harry saw that he wore Marvolo's black- stoned ring on his right hand.**

**_'I thought you was that Muggle,' _whispered Morfin. _'You look mighty like that Muggle.'_**

**_'What Muggle?' _said Riddle sharply.**

"Uh oh," Bill winced. "I guess this is when Voldemort found out his father was a Muggle."

"Shouldn't he have realized that when he found out that Tom Riddle Sr. didn't go to Hogwarts?" wondered little Ron.

"Perhaps, but he was probably still in denial at that point," Bill answered.

"And he's right next to the Riddle House," Charlie finished. There was no need for him to say anything else in regards to that subject.

**_'That Muggle what my sister took a fancy to, that Muggle what lives in the big house over the way,' _said Morfin, and he spat unexpectedly upon the floor between them. _'You look_ _right like him. Riddle. But he's older now, i'n 'e? He's older'n you, now I think on it ...'_**

"Shouldn't he have noticed that already?" asked little Harry.

"He's drunk," little Hermione stated. "He can't notice very well."

"Just like the Fat Lady," declared little Ginny.

**Morfin looked slightly dazed and swayed a little, still clutching the edge of the table for support.**

**_'He come back, see,' _he added stupidly.**

"I doubt he can talk any other way," Charlie muttered.

**Voldemort was gazing at Morfin, as though appraising his possibilities. Now he moved a little closer and said, _'Riddle came back?'_**

**_'Ar, he left her, and serve her right, marrying filth!' _said Morfin, spitting on the floor again. _'Robbed us, mind, before she ran off! Where's the locket, eh, where's Slytherin's locket?'_**

"At Burgon's," growled Sirius.

**Voldemort did not answer. Morfin was working himself into a rage again; he brandished his knife and shouted, _'Dis- honoured us, she did, that little slut! And who're you, coming here and asking questions about all that? It's over, innit ... it's over ...'_**

**He looked away, staggering slightly, and Voldemort moved forwards. As he did so, an unnatural darkness fell, extinguishing Voldemort's lamp and Morfin's candle, extinguishing everything ...**

"Did he die?" asked little Harry.

"No, otherwise there wouldn't be the memory," Sirius explained. "He got knocked out."

**Dumbledore's fingers closed tightly around Harry's arm and they were soaring back into the present again. The soft golden light in Dumbledore's office seemed to dazzle Harry's eyes after that impenetrable darkness.**

**'Is that all?' said Harry at once. 'Why did it go dark, what happened?'**

**'Because Morfin could not remember anything from that point onwards,' said Dumbledore, gesturing Harry back into his seat. 'When he awoke next morning, he was lying on the floor, quite alone. Marvolo's ring had gone.**

**'Meanwhile, in the village of Little Hangleton, a maid was running along the high street, screaming that there were three bodies lying in the drawing room of the big house: Tom Riddle Senior, and his mother and father.**

"So now we know about the beginning of the fourth book," Bill said rather slowly and with a slight shudder at the memory of reading that chapter.

"I kind of wish we didn't, but it will probably prove to be helpful," admitted Charlie.

**'The Muggle authorities were perplexed. As far as I am aware, they do not know to this day how the Riddles died, for the Avada Kedavra Curse does not usually leave any sign of damage ... the exception sits before me,' Dumbledore added, with a nod to Harry's scar. 'The Ministry, on the other hand, knew at once that this was a wizard's murder. They also knew that a convicted Muggle-hater lived across the valley from the Riddle house, a Muggle-hater who had already been imprisoned once for attacking one of the murdered people.**

**'So the Ministry called upon Morfin. They did not need to question him, to use Veritaserum or Legilimency. He admitted to the murder on the spot,**

"What?" asked Molly in surprise. "But …"

"Modified memory?" asked Arthur very slowly as he looked at Dumbledore for confirmation. Dumbledore nodded his head gravely in response.

**giving details only the murderer could know. He was proud, he said, to have killed the Muggles, had been awaiting his chance all these years. He handed over his wand, which was proved at once to have been used to kill the Riddles. **

"I hate to say this, but the fact that Riddle could perform the Killing Curse at sixteen using someone else's wand shows how powerful he is," Remus said slowly.

**And he permitted himself to be led off to Azkaban without a fight. All that disturbed him was the fact that his father's ring had disappeared. "He'll kill me for losing it," he told his captors, over and over again. "He'll kill me for losing his ring." And that, apparently, was all he ever said again. He lived out the remainder of his life in Azkaban, lamenting the loss of Marvolo's last heirloom, and is buried beside the prison alongside the other poor souls who have expired within its walls.'**

**'So Voldemort stole Morfin's wand and used it?' said Harry, sitting up straight.**

**'That's right,' said Dumbledore. 'We have no memories to show us this, but I think we can be fairly sure what happened. Voldemort Stupefied his uncle, took his wand, and proceeded across the valley to "the big house over the way". There he murdered the Muggle man who had abandoned his witch mother, and, for good measure, his Muggle grandparents, thus obliterating the last of the unworthy Riddle line and revenging himself upon the father who never wanted him. Then he returned to the Gaunt hovel, performed the complex bit of magic that would implant a false memory in his uncle's mind, laid Morfin's wand beside its unconscious owner, pocketed the ancient ring he wore and departed.'**

**'And Morfin never realised he hadn't done it?'**

**'Never,' said Dumbledore. 'He gave, as I say, a full and boastful confession.'**

"Shouldn't that have caused the Ministry to wonder?" asked little Hermione.

"Nowadays it would, but remember, the Ministry was exceedingly messed up at the time," _Hermione_ replied.

**'But he had this real memory in him all the time!'**

**'Yes, but it took a great deal of skilled Legilimency to coax it out of him,' said Dumbledore, 'and why should anybody delve further into Morfin's mind when he had already confessed to the crime?**

"Goes to show how our justice system is even more messed up," groaned Bill.

"Justice is and always has been an interesting subject to discuss," _Hermione_ said. "In fact, in some societies, vengeance was considered to be justice for a long time."

"Now that doesn't surprise me because vengeance is still used as justice in many places, including my own family," Sirius muttered.

**However, I was able to secure a visit to Morfin in the last weeks of his life, by which time I was attempting to discover as much as I could about Voldemort's past. I extracted this memory with difficulty. When I saw what it contained, I attempted to use it to secure Morfin's release from Azkaban. Before the Ministry reached their decision, however, Morfin had died.'**

**'But how come the Ministry didn't realise that Voldemort had done all that to Morfin?' Harry asked angrily. 'He was under age at the time, wasn't he? I thought they could detect under-age magic!'**

**'You are quite right – they can detect magic, but not the perpetrator: you will remember that you were blamed by the Ministry for the Hover Charm that was, in fact, cast by –'**

**'Dobby,' growled Harry; this injustice still rankled. 'So if you're under age and you do magic inside an adult witch or wizard's house, the Ministry won't know?'**

**'They will certainly be unable to tell who performed the magic,' said Dumbledore, **

Charlie's eyes lit up in glee and he rubbed his hands together with a rather mischievous look on his face.

"Oh no you won't!" cried a horrified Percy. "Mum!"

"Charles," Molly said sternly. "If you try to perform magic here while underage, you will be in big trouble."

"Mum!" Charlie protested, but quickly stopped because of the look on his mother's face. He had already performed magic this week, and even though he now knew the Ministry couldn't detect it, he didn't want to get on the wrong side of his mum. He'd just do it when she wasn't around.

**smiling slightly at the look of great indignation on Harry's face. 'They rely on witch and wizard parents to enforce their offspring's obedience while within their walls.'**

**'Well, that's rubbish,' snapped Harry. 'Look what happened here, look what happened to Morfin!'**

"They really should refine those laws," sighed _Hermione_ with a shake of her head.

**'I agree,' said Dumbledore. 'Whatever Morfin was, he did not deserve to die as he did, blamed for murders he had not committed. But it is getting late, and I want you to see this other memory before we part ...'**

**Dumbledore took from an inside pocket another crystal phial and Harry fell silent at once, remembering that Dumbledore had said it was the most important one he had collected. Harry noticed that the contents proved difficult to empty into the Pensieve, as though they had congealed slightly; did memories go off?**

"They don't go bad, but …," Remus' voice trailed off.

"But what?" asked George.

"If it's what I'm thinking, you'll find out," assured Remus.

"Is this the sluggish memory?" wondered little Harry.

"Most likely," Remus answered.

**'This will not take long,' said Dumbledore, when he had finally emptied the phial. 'We shall be back before you know it. Once more into the Pensieve, then ...'**

**And Harry fell again through the silver surface, landing this time right in front of a man he recognised at once.**

**It was a much younger Horace Slughorn. Harry was so used to him bald that he found the sight of Slughorn with thick, shiny, straw-coloured hair quite disconcerting; it looked as though he had had his head thatched, though there was already a shiny Galleon-sized bald patch on his crown. His moustache, less massive than it was these days, was gingery-blond. He was not quite as rotund as the Slughorn Harry knew, though the golden buttons on his richly embroidered waistcoat were taking a fair amount of strain.**

"Can't he just enlarge his waistcoat?" wondered little Ginny.

"Spells and clothes don't always go very well together, at least, they're not a permanent solution," Molly explained. "I wish someone would figure out a spell that permanently enlarged or repaired clothes, but alas, that hasn't happened yet."

**His little feet resting upon a velvet pouffe, he was sitting well back in a comfortable winged armchair, one hand grasping a small glass of wine, the other searching through a box of crystallised pineapple.**

**Harry looked around as Dumbledore appeared beside him and saw that they were standing in Slughorn's office. Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens. Harry recognised Riddle at once. His was the most handsome face and he looked the most relaxed of all the boys. His right hand lay negligently upon the arm of his chair; with a jolt, Harry saw that he was wearing Marvolo's gold and black ring; he had already killed his father.**

"I still can't believe he did that at age sixteen," Bill said with a shake of his head.

**'Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?' Riddle asked.**

**'Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you,' said Slughorn, wagging a reproving, sugar-covered finger at Riddle, though ruining the effect slightly by winking.**

"Which is another way of saying he's correct," muttered Arthur.

**'I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy; more knowledge- able than half the staff, you are.'**

"In some regards, that's similar to _Harry_," muttered _Ron_.

_Harry_ mock-glared at his best friend, but quickly broke into laughter. "You did that too," he pointed out.

**Riddle smiled; the other boys laughed and cast him admiring looks.**

**'What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't, and your careful flattery of the people who matter – thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favourite –'**

**As several of the boys tittered, something very odd happened. The whole room was suddenly filled with a thick white fog,**

"He changed it!" explained Arthur.

"It's a memory," said a rather confused little Harry. "They can't be changed."

"There is a way that they can be," _Harry_ explained. "As odd as it sounds, it's true. And if you're still confused, the book will explain how it works in a bit."

"Okay," little Harry answered slowly.

**so that Harry could see nothing but the face of Dumbledore, who was standing beside him. Then Slughorn's voice rang out through the mist, unnaturally loudly: '– _you'll go wrong, boy, mark my words.'_**

"Now that certainly wasn't said," murmured Sirius.

**The fog cleared as suddenly as it had appeared and yet nobody made any allusion to it, nor did anybody look as though anything unusual had just happened. Bewildered, Harry looked around as a small golden clock standing upon Slughorn's desk chimed eleven o'clock.**

**'Good gracious, is it that time already?' said Slughorn. 'You'd better get going, boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by tomorrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery.'**

"Death eaters," muttered Neville under his breath.

**Slughorn pulled himself out of his armchair and carried his empty glass over to his desk as the boys filed out. Riddle, however, stayed behind. Harry could tell he had dawdled deliberately, wanting to be last in the room with Slughorn.**

**'Look sharp, Tom,' said Slughorn, turning round and finding him still present. 'You don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect ...'**

"What was going on in the Headmaster's head when he did that?" wondered Charlie.

"I don't know," Dumbledore admitted. "I didn't recommend Riddle, but I must admit that his academic record was quite good."

**'Sir, I wanted to ask you something.' **

**'Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away ...' **

**'Sir, I wondered what you know about ... about Horcruxes?' And it happened all over again: the dense fog filled the room so that Harry could not see Slughorn or Riddle at all; **

"Seriously, what doesn't he want Dumbledore to know?" wondered Sirius.

**only Dumbledore, smiling serenely beside him. Then Slughorn's voice boomed out again, just as it had done before.**

**_'I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don't let me catch you mentioning them again!'_**

"He told Voldemort something … something important," Bill declared. "Otherwise, why would he change it?"

"Change it?" wondered Fred.

"How can you change a memory?" added George.

"It's a very complicated process, but it is possible," Arthur admitted. "It's almost always easily detectable too when the memory is viewed."

"True, but the question is, what did Slughorn say?" wondered Percy.

"Considering the topic, I'd say it's safe to say it had something to do with Horcruxes," answered Remus, "but what exactly, I don't know."

"We do know that he has them and it's more than one," Bill pointed out.

"Though, it sounds like Riddle might've already known what they were," Percy said slowly. "Or at the very least, he knew the word."

"Then why would he ask?" wondered little Ron.

"Perhaps …," Remus began, but he quickly stopped.

"What?" asked little Neville.

"I agree that Riddle probably knew what Horcuxes were, but maybe he wanted to know more than the textbook definition of them," Remus answered.

**'Well, that's that,' said Dumbledore placidly beside Harry. 'Time to go.'**

**And Harry's feet left the floor to fall, seconds later, back on to the rug in front of Dumbledore's desk.**

**'That's all there is?' said Harry blankly.**

**Dumbledore had said that this was the most important memory of all, but he could not see what was so significant about it. **

"It was changed, so obviously Slughorn is trying to hide something that might prove helpful in Voldemort's downfall," murmured Bill.

"You don't think …" Charlie began, but Bill interrupted him.

"Nothing of the sort!" he cried, "whatever Slughorn did was unintentional, but somehow he probably helped Voldemort."

**Admittedly the fog, and the fact that nobody seemed to have noticed it, was odd, but other than that nothing seemed to have happened except that Riddle had asked a question and failed to get an answer.**

**'As you might have noticed,' said Dumbledore, reseating himself behind his desk, 'that memory has been tampered with.'**

**'Tampered with?' repeated Harry, sitting back down too.**

**'Certainly,' said Dumbledore, 'Professor Slughorn has meddled with his own recollections.'**

"That doesn't make sense," said a rather confused little Hermione.

"Very few things do," Luna responded. "Especially in the wizarding world. Logic doesn't always belong in it, but it is helpful."

"I'm so used to being able to solve everything with logic," little Hermione admitted. "I hate it when I can't."

"Get used to it," _Ron_ said. "Like Luna said, non-logical answers appear all the time."

**'But why would he do that?'**

**'Because, I think, he is ashamed of what he remembers,' said Dumbledore. 'He has tried to rework the memory to show himself in a better light, obliterating those parts which he does not wish me to see. It is, as you will have noticed, very crudely done, and that is all to the good, for it shows that the true memory is still there beneath the alterations.**

"Is it possible to perfectly change a memory?" asked little Harry.

"I do not know the answer to that question," Dumbledore answered, "though it would be very interesting to see if that were possible if a very powerful wizard tried to change his memory about an event."

**'And so, for the first time, I am giving you homework, Harry. It will be your job to persuade Professor Slughorn to divulge the real memory,**

Nearly everyone stared incredulously at the book.

"Uh, how is that supposed to be possible?" wondered Sirius. "Slughorn isn't the type to give away information and if he already tried to tamper with this memory, I highly doubt he'll tell anyone what the actual memory is."

**which will undoubtedly be our most crucial piece of information of all.'**

**Harry stared at him.**

**'But surely, sir,' he said, keeping his voice as respectful as possible, 'you don't need me – you could use Legilimency ... or Veritaserum ...'**

"Slughorn would be expecting something like that," Remus sighed. "You'll have to figure out some other way to do that."

"Just get him drunk and you'll have no problem," Sirius stated.

"Wish I'd thought of that earlier," _Harry_ muttered under his breath. It would have made everything a whole lot simpler if he had known that.

**'Professor Slughorn is an extremely able wizard who will be expecting both,' said Dumbledore. 'He is much more accomplished at Occlumency than poor Morfin Gaunt, and I would be astonished if he has not carried an antidote to Veritaserum with him ever since I coerced him into giving me this travesty of a recollection.**

**'No, I think it would be foolish to attempt to wrest the truth from Professor Slughorn by force, and might do much more harm than good; I do not wish him to leave Hogwarts. However, he has his weaknesses like the rest of us and I believe that you are the one person who might be able to penetrate his defences. It is most important that we secure the true memory, Harry ... how important, we will only know when we have seen the real thing. So, good luck ... and goodnight.'**

"Wait, he asked you to try and get the true memory from Slughorn?" Remus asked in shock. "Albus, if you couldn't do it, how do you expect Harry to do so?"

"I must have great hope in the boy," Dumbledore said in response. "And with good reason too, no doubt."

**A little taken aback by the abrupt dismissal, Harry got to his feet quickly.**

**'Goodnight, sir.'**

**As he closed the study door behind him, he distinctly heard Phineas Nigellus say, 'I can't see why the boy should be able to do it better than you, Dumbledore.'**

**'I wouldn't expect you to, Phineas,' replied Dumbledore, and Fawkes gave another low, musical cry.**

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked little Ron.

**"So, do you or do you not think Harry can get the memory?" Charlie asked.**

**"I'm afraid I do not know," Dumbledore admitted.**

"Considering the fact that Voldemort is defeated in the future, either _Harry_ gets the memory, or a way in which to defeat Voldemort without the memory is discovered," Bill deduced. "I would suppose the former is more likely than the latter, considering whatever the memory was about had to be extremely important in Voldemort's rise to power. Otherwise, why would you show it to _Harry_?"

"You know, that makes a lot of sense," Percy murmured.

"Well, that was quite the chapter," said Remus for lack of anything else to say. "It seems that for every answer we get, several more questions appear."

"For a lot of things, that seems to be fairly normal," Charlie pointed out.

"And on that note, I think it's time for bed," Arthur commented. "I think we'll be able to finish this book tomorrow."

* * *

_**Lily: Thanks for the review. Thanks for your contribution towards the poll.**_

_**Sarah Sanderson: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked the rabbit story and how the Percy drama scene was unfolded.**_

_**Lady Cougar-Trombone: Thanks for the review.**_

_**SailorMartin3: Thanks for the review. I think the twins' phrase can be interpreted a lot of different ways, simply depending on the reader's style of thinking.**_

_**Mischief Managed: Thanks for the review.**_

_**RemySevvyFan: Thanks for the review. I think that scene can be interpreted in several different ways and I know that I chose a rather controversial way.**_

_**kuramaangel: Thanks for the review.**_

_**anthony: Thanks for the review.**_

_**Phia4027: Thanks for the review. I am determined to finish this series as I've come so far and I hate stories that aren't finished.**_

_**Bantex9: Thanks for the review.**_

_**alwayslove: Thanks for the review. I'm planning on finishing this series.**_

_**dragonfly9078: Thanks for the review. That's a scene which has many different interpretations depending on the author's style of reading. I know I chose I rather different and controversial way to portray it.**_

_**Random: Thanks for the review.**_

_**Isabella: Thanks for the review.**_

_**someone: Thanks for the review.**_

_**karatequeen78: Thanks for the review.**_


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